PRINCETON,  N.  J.  0]{ 


Purchased  by  the  Hamill  Missionary  Fund. 


Division 
Section  • 


I)X35I 


IN  DWARF  LAND  AND 
CANNIBAL  COUNTRY;^ 

A  RECORD  OF  TRAVEL  AND 
DISCOVERY  IN  CENTRAL  AFRICA 

A.  B.  LLOYD 


WITH  INTRODUCTION  BY 
THE  RT.  HON.  SIR  JOHN 
H.  KENNAWAY,  BART.,  M.P., 
PRESIDENT  OF  THE 
CHURCH  MISSIONARY 
SOCIETY       -I-  -I-  -I- 


*    APR  10  1900 


146  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  MAPS 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

153-157  FIFTH  AVENUE 

MDCCCXCIX 


Digitized  by 

tine  Internet  Arcliive 

in  2015 

https://arcliive.org/details/indwarflandcanniOOIIoy_0 


Zbi6  J6ook 

I  HUMBLY  DEDICATE  TO 

MY  MOTHER, 

WHOSE   SAINTLY  LIFE   AND  EARNEST  TKAYERS 
HAVE     EVER     BEEN     MY     ADMIRATION     AND  SUPPORT, 
PARTICULARLY  DURING   MY   MANY   AND   VARIED  EXPERIENCES 
IN   CENTRAL  AFRICA 


PREFACE 


AS  President  of   the   Church   Missionary  Society,  I 
gladly  accede  to  Mr.  Lloyd's  request  that  I  should 
write  a  few  lines  of  introduction  to  his  book. 

He  has  been  bearing  his  share  of  "the  white  man's 
burden"  of  ruling,  civilising,  and  Christianising  the 
"  silent  peoples,"  of  whom  John  Bull  carries  no  less 
than  850  millions  on  his  back. 

The  duty  is  no  light  one,  but  it  gives  an  outlet  for  the 
energies  of  our  people,  an  object  worthy  of  an  Imperial 
race,  of  a  Christian  country,  a  call  to  put  forth  the 
highest  quahties  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  character.  Mr. 
Lloyd  has  been  for  four  years  and  a  half  engaged  as  one 
of  our  missionaries  in  the  grand  work  of  helping  to  build 
up  the  Church  in  Uganda  and  the  regions  around  it, 
within  the  confines  of  the  British  Protectorate. 

It  is  a  church  whose  foundations  were  laid  by  Bishops 
Hannington  and  Parker,  by  Mackay,  Shergold  Smith, 
Pilkington,  and  many  others — a  church  rich  in  martyrs, 
now  numbering  more  than  '20,000  baptized  members, 
besides  catechumens  and  readers,  with  15  native  clergy 
and  1,000  lay  Evangelists — a  church  self-supporting, 
possessing  the  Bible  and  Prayer-Book  in  its  own 
tongue,  and  spending  i'1,500  a  year  in  the  purchase 
of  books. 

What  hath  God  wrought  ? 

vii 


viii 


PREFACE, 


During  his  sojourn  in  Africa  Mr.  Lloyd  has  been 
witness  of  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  Soudanese  rebeUion, 
which  he  assisted  in  repressing.  He  was  privileged  to 
close  the  eyes  of  his  friend  and  brother,  Mr.  Callis,  so 
early  struck  down  in  Toro,  and  to  him  was  dictated  the 
wonderful  letter  from  King  Daudi  Kasagama  to  The 
Elders  of  the  Church  in  Europe,"  thanking  them  for 
sending  teachers,  and  telling  them  that  he  wanted  very 
much  to  arrange  all  the  matters  of  his  country  for  God 
only,  that  all  his  people  might  understand  that  Christ 
Jesus  is  the  Saviour  of  all  countries,  and  that  He  is  the 
King  of  all  kings. 

To  his  role  as  a  missionary  Mr.  Lloyd  has  added  that 
of  an  explorer.  Last  year,  when  the  time  of  his  furlough 
had  come,  he  determined  to  strike  out  a  line  for  himself 
and  make  through  Belgian  territory  for  an  exit  on  the 
West  Coast.  This  brought  him  to  the  Pygmy  Forest, 
where  Stanley  spent  so  much  time,  and  reviewed  the  old 
memories  of  Herodotus. 

Much  progress  has  been  made,  even  since  the  later  of 
the  two  historians,  and  it  speaks  well  that  our  traveller 
was  able  to  make  his  way  through  the  midst  of  Pygmies 
and  cannibals,  unharmed  and  unharming.  The  knowledge 
he  has  gained  cannot  fail  to  be  of  use  to  him  when  he 
returns  to  Uganda,  and  it  will  certainly  be  of  interest  to 
his  readers,  to  whom  I  heartily  commend  his  book. 

JOHN  H.  KENNAWAY. 

Church  Missionary  House, 
Salisbury  Square,  E.G. 


PREFATORY  NOTE 


THE  writer  of  the  following  pages  makes  no  pretensions 
to  literary  ability,  and  he  intends  this  work  merely 
to  be  a  plain,  mivarnished  story,  simply  told,  of  life  lived 
under  many  conditions  in  Africa.  He  hopes  no 
apology  will  be  deemed  necessary  for  the  imperfections 
which  may  appear  in  the  telling  of  his  narrative.  The 
writing  of  such  a  book  was  far  enough  from  his  thoughts 
when  he  went  off  upon  his  mission  to  that  benighted 
continent,  and  nothing  would  now  induce  him  to  do  so 
but  the  conviction  that  the  knowledge  he  has  gained  of 
unknown  countries  and  unknown  tribes  should  not  be 
kept  to  himself.  As  one  who  has  laboured,  and  still  hopes 
to  labour,  among  the  helpless  and  friendless  millions  of 
the  Dark  Continent,  his  natural  desire,  if  writing  a  book 
at  all,  would  be  to  treat  with  missionary  enterprise 
exclusively,  and  to  establish  and  enforce  the  claims  of  the 
perishing  heathen.  But  this  is  not  what  he  has  set 
himself  to  do  in  producing  this  vohnne.  The  other  side  of 
nnssionary  life  nmst  sometimes  be  told,  and  to  this  task 
he  has  put  his  hand.  It  has  been  a  difficult  one,  but 
however  imperfectly  it  has  been  accomplished  the  writer 
simply  asks  that  the  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  the 
intentions  of  the  author  are  to  introduce  facts  in  such  a 

'■'  ix 


X 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


way  as  to  interest  the  most  casual  reader  ;  and  he  is 
not  without  hope  that  it  will  in  some  measure  procure  for 
the  dark,  perishing  millions  of  Central  Africa  an  increase 
of  S3anpathy  from  the  Christian  public  of  Great  Britain. 


INTRODUCTION 


Africa — Past  and  Present. 

DURING  the  past  century  no  country  has  opened  up  to 
the  civihsed  world  in  so  marvellous  a  manner  as 
Africa.  Not  many  years  ago  the  Map  of  Africa  was 
almost  a  blank.  The  great  desert  and  the  Nile  seemed  to 
be  the  only  natural  features  known.  And  yet,  looking 
back  upon  the  Africa  of  the  past,  we  behold  her  greatness — 
the  nursery  of  science  and  literature ;  the  seat  of  an 
Empire  almost  as  great  as  that  of  Eome,  and  one  which 
contended  with  Rome  for  the  kingdoms  of  the  world ;  and 
we  think  of  Egypt,  the  great  stronghold  of  the  early 
Church,  with  its  archbishop  and  bishops,  its  churches, 
and  its  learning. 

The  old  Egyptians  of  the  bygone  ages  seemed  to  know 
more  about  the  centre  of  Africa  than  did  our  grandfathers. 
There  on  the  tombs  of  their  kings,  far  back  in  the  Sixth 
Dynasty,  we  get  a  record,  not  only  proving  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Egyptians  of  those  remote  ages,  of  a  great 
lake  at  the  sources  of  the  Nile,  but  of  the  existence  of  the 
Pygmies.  There  is  descril^ed  on  the  tomb  of  Aswan  how 
the  King  Mer-en-Ra  sent  his  servant  to  fetch  a  Pygmy 
from  the  country  of  Punt  by  the  lake  Punt,  supposed  to 
be  the  source  of  the  Nile,  and  it  is  recorded  how  that  the 

xi 


xii 


fXTROniTTlOX. 


King  Assa,  five  reigns  earlier,  is  spoken  of  as  having  seen 
a  Pygmy  from  this  land  brought  by  his  servant. 

This  means  that  about  H,-200  years  v^.c.  the  very 
centre  of  Africa  was  knoAvn  to  the  then  civilised  world. 
The  writings  of  Herodotus  seem  but  as  yesterday  before 
such  inscriptions  as  these  ;  he,  however,  was  called  the 
"  dreamer,'"  and  his  account  of  the  Pygmies  dwelling 
near  the  great  Mountains  of  the  Moon  was  scarcely 
believed,  and  yet  to  day  we  know  the  truth  of  what  he 
wrote. 

The  Portuguese  will  tell  us  of  great  cities  built  by  them 
centuries  ago  in  the  very  heart  of  Africa,  and  on  the  west 
there  still  remain  traces  of  what  once  must  have  been  a 
flourishing  inission;  and  these  traces  may  yet  be  found 
in  tlie  centre. 

AVe  speak  to-day  of  the  great  explorations  for  the 
opening  up  of  the  Dark  Continent ;  our  proposed  railways, 
increased  trade,  and  our  civilising  agencii^s.  But  what  is 
the  true  state  of  affairs?  alas!  it  must  still  be  called 
Darkest  Africa.  Thousands  of  square  miles  still  un- 
explored, huge  forests  absolutely  untouched,  millions 
of  her  dusky  sons  in  as  gross  a  state  of  darkness  as  they 
were  a  thousand  years  ago.  And  this  for  all  that  more 
lives  have  been  laid  down  for  Africa,  and  a  greater  sacrifice 
oi  men  to  the  enterprise  of  discovery  than  in  any  other 
land.  The  border  is  yet  hardly  touched.  Civilised 
countries  have  been  made  the  richer  by  her  gold,  and 
where  is  the  recompense  that  has  been  paid  to  her  ?  Her 
tribes  are  sunk  in  deepest  depths  of  ignorance  and  sin, 
and  alas  !  the  white  man's  greed  for  her  gold,  her  rubber, 
and  her  ivory  has  only  deepened  her  guilt,  for  often  it  has 
l)rought  within  her  domains  drunkenness,  lawlessness,  and 
vice,  and  all  this  rushing  in  upon  a  defenceless  people. 

And  still  her  hands  are  stretched  out,  and  it  is  to  us 
that  she  looks  ;  to  us — who  have  taken  her  wealth,  and 


IXTRODUCTION, 


xiii 


the  blood  of  thousands  of  her  sons,  and  who,  in  exchange, 
have  given  to  her  gin,  and  a  handful  of  missionaries. 

But  the  day  is  at  hand,  and  darkest  Africa  shall  yet  be 
enlightened.  Already  from  her  very  heart  a  tiny  streak 
of  light  has  commenced  to  glow  in  the  British  Protectorate 
of  Uganda.  Thank  God  !  Britain's  sons  have  planted  the 
Union  Jack  in  her  very  centre,  not  to  suck  her  life-blood 
for  the  sake  of  her  wealth,  but  to  bring  to  her  the  priceless 
treasures  of  Peace,  Prosperity,  and  Religion. 

Africa  shall  yet  hold  up  her  head ;  her  down-trodden 
sons  and  daughters  shall  leap  into  a  new-found  freedom, 
and  the  fiercest  spirits  that  ever  trod  her  burning  sands 
shall  be  brought  into  complete  subjugation  ;  not  by  the 
military  fort  and  the  roar  of  cannon  and  the  rattle  of 
musketry,  for  it  will  require  a  mightier  power  than  this 
to  bring  peace  to  this  troubled  land.  That  which  has 
made  our  Empire  what  it  is  to-day — "The  Word  of 
God" — this  is  the  power  that  shall  transform  Africa 
from  the  tenfold  horrors  of  her  millions  and  make  her  a 
land  of  peace. 

We  may  make  our  railways  and  establish  the  claims  of 
our  nation  and  open  up  her  dark  recesses  to  our  commerce, 
but  if  we  Britons  forget  to  send  her  that  which  has  made 
our  own  land  so  great,  then  will  the  sorrows  of  Africa 
lay  at  our  own  door. 


CONTENTS 


PART  I. 

ENGLAND   TO  UGANDA 
CHAPTER  I. 

ENGLAND  TO  ZANZIBAR. 

PAGE 

The  Gaul — Passengers — The  Doctor  as  an  entertainer — Musical 
talent,  &c. — Lisbon — The  Portuguese— Teneriffe — Sunday  on 
board^ — Cape  Town — We  meet  with  friends — Algoa  Bay — Durban 
— The  Kaffirs — Delagoa  Bay — Beira — INIozambique — Zanzibar — 
Hotel  d'Angleterre — Change  of  plans — We  secure  porters,  boys, 
&c. — "  Mission  boy"— We  select  donkeys — Universities'  Mission 
— Ramazan  — Tippu-Tib — Ready  to  start    .  .  .  .  1 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  STAirr. 

Eleven  hours  in  an  Arab  dhow — Waiting  and  whistling  for  the  wind 
— Ashore  at  last — First  night  in  Africa — A  restless  night — Final 
preparations — K'shimba — Reviewing  our  porters — Our  first  camp 
— Great  oration  by  K'shimba— The  lion's  roar— Discomforts  of 
camp  life — Famine  ahead — We  send  for  fresh  supplies — Dr. 
Baxter — A  ministry  of  love— A  pot  of  porridge  —And  what  came 
of  it— The  power  of  an  Englishman — Letters  from  home — 
Scarcity  of  water — The  horrors  of  human  porterage — Leopard  in 
the  tree — Lost  in  the  forest  .  .  .  .  .23 

XV 


XVI 


COXTENTS. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

GLIMPSES  OF  CAMP  LIFE. 

PAGE 

Under  the  tamarind  tree — Refreshment  for  the  cows— Hope  deferred 
at  Mbuzini  river — The  Wami— First  real  wash  in  Africa- 
Famine  stares  us  in  the  face — Fever— Crossing  river  on  African 
bridge — Tent  left  behind — The  cook's  story  -  Overtaken  by 
Bishop  Tucker — The  wild  ass— The  Bishop  to  the  front — Long 
solitary  march— Kindly  reception — Lions  in  the  path — Mamboya 
— Hospitality  in  Central  Africa — The  "  Mission  boy  "  again — 
Practical  Christianity — We  split  our  caravan— The  porters 
rebel — How  we  squashed  the  rebels— Peace  making — INIpwapwa 
— Kisokwe — Famine  and  its  horrors  .  .  .  .41 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CAMP  LIFE  {continued). 

Wagogo  thieves — K'shimba  in  distress  -Trouble  in  the  forest — The 
Martini  rifle — Our  hunting  expeditions — When  the  boots  wear 
out — Burungi,  the  land  of  plenty — Rains  are  upon  us — Buying 
food — The  Warungi — The  warriors  and  my  dog  Sally — How 
troubles  come — Irangi — A  courteous  reception — We  tend  the 
sick — The  Governor  as  a  patient — An  African's  gratitude — 
K'shimba  turns  up — He  relates,  his  troubles — Bwana  Kitangi 
to  the  rescue  .  .  .  .  ,  .  .67 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    LAST  STAGES. 

Farewell  to  Bwana  Kitangi — Rains — Washed  out — Floods — Swampy 
ground — The  porter's  slave — Sandawi  —  More  troubles — Con- 
sidered himself  a  dead  man — A  hostile  people — Turn— Poisonous 
roots — Christmas  Day — The  Wanyamwezi  country — Sickness — 
We  reach  Nera — ^Meeting  with  [Messrs.  Gordon  and  Nickisson — 
Carried  in  a  hammock — Arrival  at  Nasa — Rest  at  last — Native 
cloth — Embarkation  on  Lake  —  Our  canoes  -  ■  Hippopotami — 
Ukerewe — Mr.  Stokes — A  narrow  escape — The  German  Station — 
The  stormy  winds  do  blow — The  Wasese — Crocodiles — The  last 
day     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .84 


CONTENTS. 


xvii 


PART  II. 

UGANDA.     THE  SOUDANESE  WAR. 
CHAPTER  YI. 

UGANDA. 

PAGE 

Our  entrance  into  Mengo — The  four  hills  of  Mengo — Kampala — The 
British  Government  of  Uganda — -Troubles  from  without — 
Missionary  occupations  —  Native  customs  —  The  Waganda  — 
Woman's  position — Missionary  efforts — Loyalty  of  the  native 
Christians — Medical  work — The  chief  dresser — Native  industries 
— Iron-working — Wood-working  —  Pottery  —  Basket  work — The 
bark  cloth — The  native  market — Efforts  to  catch  zebra    .  .  116 

CHAPTER  VII. 

UGANDA    TO    T  O  R  O  . 

Experiences  gained — Toro — Ruwenzori—  A  lay  missionary's  work — 
Valedictory  feasts — Obtaining  porters — The  boys — Mika's  con- 
version— A  leopard  scare — The  Mayanja — Mosquitoes — INIitiana 
— Crossing  the  Mpamujugu — Elephant  country — Antelope  steak 
— Forest  glades — Elan — Sally,  a  distinguished  guest — Unfriendly 
Papists — I  nurse  a  black  baby — Cow  stealing — Fishing  for 
breakfast — Mwenge — Byakweyamba — The  banquet — An  embar- 
rassing welcome  to  Toro      ......  139 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

TORO. 

Brief  history  of  Toro — Kasagama — Developments  in  Toro — Liberation 
of  slaves — Ruwenzori,  ^Mountains  of  the  Moon— Attending  the 
sick — I  build  a  dispensary — Wanted,  a  hospital — Leopards  of 
Toro — A  midnight  scare — Lions — The  little  hero— The  Watoro — 
Toro  customs— Teeth  breaking — Burning  "Njoka" — Cupping — 
Drinking  parties       .......  159 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  TRAMP  INTO  THE  UNKNOWN. 

Footprints  of  the  lions — Snake  in  the  grass — Ravages  of  the  lions — A 
narrow  escape — Dry  and  thirsty  land — I  meet  the  Captain — The 
Soudanese  guard — Following  the  compass — Hunting  water-buck 


xviii 


CONTENTS. 


— Between  heaven  and  earth  — A  fine  specimen — A  picturesque 
camp — Elephants — Carving  our  way  —  Up  a  tree  —  Patience 
rewarded  —  Tropical  vegetation  —  The  Captain  and  I  part 
company — We  camp  in  the  wilderness — Mount  Edwin  Arnold — 
]Mpauga  river — A  hostile  people  —  Heathen  sacrifice — Home 
again  to  Toro  .......  176 


CHAPTER  X. 

AT    H  O      E     IN  TORO. 

Climate  of  Toro — Brick-making — House-building —  A  tornado — A 
disaster — The  Government  fort — Missionaries  and  the  Govern- 
ment officials — A  Christmas  feast — The  Mission  garden— My 
first  elephant — The  Batatela  rebellion — Adventures  of  a  French 
priest — Belgian  officer  takes  refuge  in  British  protectorate— Fort 
George  attacked — A  splendid  victory — Death  of  Rev.  John  Callis 
— Lions  again — A  lucky  shot  .....  191 

CHAPTER  XI. 

RAMBLES  ROUND  ABOUT  TORO. 

Visiting  the  craters — A  day  on  the  lake — A  bicycle  experience — Lion 
in  the  path — Visiting  Mwengc — The  "  Speed-away  "—A  swollen 
river — Exhaustion — Kindly  help — Fever — I  am  hailed  as  a  "  rain 
producer" — I  go  to  see  Prince  Matu — I  overhear  an  interesting 
conversation — Sally  to  the  rescue — A  would-be  assassin — To  the 
Semliki  Valley — A  black  man's  gratitude — A  magnificent  view — 
Albert  Lake — Hunting  reed-buck — I  start  for  Mboga  —Elephant 
hunt — Over  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon — Fresh  meat — Among 
the  Bamba — The  hot  springs — Crossing  the  Semliki — Elephant 
camp— A  morning  call — Alive  with  game — IMboga  —  Church 
history         ........  207 

CHAPTER  XII. 

SOUDANESE  REBELLION. 

Political  troubles— Mwanga's  flight — Major  Ternan  wounded— 
Mwanga's  capture  by  the  Germans — Uganda  regents — A  record 
journey— Major  Macdonald's  expedition — Soudanese  rebellion — 
Its  causes — British  pluck — Battle  of  Luba's  Hill — INIurder  of 
INIajor  Thurston— Disarming  the  Soudanese  in  Mengo — Native 


CONTENTS, 


xix 


auxiliaries — Night  attack — Battle  on  the  plain  at  Luba's — Some 
one  has  blundered — Reinforcements—Destroying  banana  gardens 
—  Death  of  George  Pilkington  and  Lieutenant  INIacdonald         .  280 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

SOUDANESE  REBELLION  {cuutiuued). 

The  Major  leaves  for  Budu — Christmas  Day  in  camp — The  mutineers 
raid  the  gardens — Vigorous  attack  upon  the  Waganda  camp — 
Mwanga's  escape  from  Germans — Evacuation  of  rebel  fort — I  am 
sent  to  Ripon  Falls — Attempts  to  blow  up  the  dhow — Fort 
building — Rebels  attempt  to  cross  into  Uganda — Indian  troops 
arrive — All  into  ^Mengo — With  Major  Macdonald  to  Kabagambi 
— A  responsible  charge — A  night  scare — A  brush  with  INIoham- 
medans — Off  again  to  the  front — Rifle-stealing — A  kind  offer — 
More  fighting — Severe  struggle  at  Kabagambi — Death  of  Captain 
Maloney  252 


PART  III. 

UGANDA    TO   THE  WEST  COAST. 
CHAPTER  XIV. 

UGANDA  TO  CONGO  FREE  STATE. 

Westward  Ho — Uganda  escort — An  alarm — Blackened  ruins — Ele- 
phants— My  reasons  for  journey  through  Pygmy  land — The 
Bishop's  consent  —  Preparations  for  the  start  —  Farewells- 
Escorts— The  start — Violent  earthquakes — Elephants  again — A 
glorious  sight — A  faithless  donkey — Sally  submerged — An  ele- 
phant hunt — Another  snake  story — Wakonjo  village — Kikorongo 
— Chased  by  a  hippo — Katwe — Hospitality  of  No.  X.  Company — 
Their  loyalty  .  .  .  .  .  .  .269 

CHAPTER  XV. 

KATWE  TO  KILONGA-LONGA.     THE  GREAT  PYGMY  FOREST. 

The  boundary  river — Lions  -Meeting  with  the  Belgian  officer — We 
have  a  little  hunt  —  Sporting  yarns — Frontier  settlement — 
Women  slaves — Abundance  of  game — Traces  of  Mr.  H.  M. 
Stanley — Crossing  the  Semliki — Fort  Mbeni — Preparing  for  the 
plunge — The  forest — Its  extent  —  Pygmy  area  —  Vegetation — 
Clearings — Animal  life — Rivers — Birds — Insects — Darkness — An 
Arab  settlement — Cutting  our  way — Sakarumbi — Our  camp  in 


XX 


COXTEXTS. 


the  forest — Elephants-  Wading  through  rivers — Red  ants — 
Adventure  with  a  snake — "A  man-monkey!" — Visit  from  the 
Pygmies — Friendly  intercourse — ^lode  of  Life — A  Pygmy  hunt 
— An  attempt  at  photograj)hy — An  Arab  chief — Tippu-Tib — 
Kilonga-Longa         .......  290 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

KILONGA-LOXGA  TO  AVAKUBI. 

Kilonga-Longa  or  ]Mawambi — The  donkey  sold— Gymnastics  in  the 
forest — A  narrow  escape — Falling  trees — The  Pygmies  again — 
Renewed  friendship — Bows  and  arrows — A  Pygmy  settlement — 
Pygmy  women — Pygmy  temples  —  Fever— ]\Iy  black  nurse — 
Elephant  scatters  the  porters — Wild  pig— Snake  adventure — 
Fishing — Crossing  river  on  fallen  tree — The  guide  kills  an 
elephant — A  hungry  panther — Two  days  through  water — Pengi 
— Canoes  awaiting  us — Socks  versus  stockings — First  ex- 
periences on  river — Shooting  the  rapids — Canoe  men  submerged 
— Canoe  smashed  up — A  miserable  night — Avakubi        .  .  .318 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

AVAKUBI    TO    B  A  S  O  K  O  . 

Houses  —  Gardens  —  Coffee  —  Rubber  —  Ivory  —  Another  start — A 
struggle  for  dear  life — A  great  loss — Cannibals  of  the  Upper 
Aruwimi — An  anxious  night — Another  canoe  swamped — Among 
the  cannibals — Their  dress — Their  habits — The  kola  nut — Iron 
work — Panga  Falls — Our  warrior  boatmen — We  make  rapid 
progress--"  The  European  is  coming"  —  Bangwa  weapons — 
Choosing  a  tender  spot — Mukopi — Gymnastics  in  the  forest — 
A  cannibal  dance — Mupe — Cannibals  and  the  bicycle — Banalya 
— A  headstrong  Belgian — I  visit  tbe  cannibal  chief — An  eye- 
opener — What  it  will  lead  to — Basoko       ....  336 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BASOK OTOE X  GLAND. 

Captain  Guy  Burrows— Ten  days'  rest — The  palm  grove — Shooting 
our  dinners — The  steamer  arrives — Mode  of  progress — ^Missionary 
friends  at  Upoto — The  captain  drunk — Stanley  Pool — Leopold- 
ville — Kind  friends — Catching  the  train — The  saloon  car — A 
strange  sensation  —  Matadi  —  Kind  hospitality  —  Boma — The 
Governor-General's  compliment  —  Cabenda--  The  mail-boat 
arrives — The  lazy  Portuguese — Getting  passport  signed — On 
board  the  Loanda — Lisbon — Sud  express  to  Paris—  Home  at  last 
— Conclusion  .......  865 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


A.  B.  LLOYD  (photogeavure)       .....  Fviiutiitpiece 

PAGE 

PORT  ELIZABETH  MARKET  HALL       .  ,  .  .  .  .7 

DURBAN  BREAKWATER.      (SHOWING  CHAIN  GANG)       .  .  .  .8 

DURBAN  TOWN  HALL  .......  9 

BEIRA  CANTEEN        ........  10 

ZANZIBAR     .........  12 

ZANZIBAR  AFTER  BOMBARDMENT        .  .  .  .  .  .15 

A  PORTER.      (with  HIS  LOAD)  .  •  .  .  .  .17 

WASUKUMA  PORTERS  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19 

WANYAMWEZI  PORTERS  .  .  .  .  .  .  .27 

CAMP  LIFE   .........  31 

A  MINISTRY  OF  LOVE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .35 

EAST  AFRICAN  MAIL  CARRIERS  .  .  .  .  .  .37 

EAST  AFRICAN  HUT,  WITH  STOCKADE  AND  DEVIL   HUT  .  .  .39 

CAMP  AT  :mbuzini    .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .43 

USAGARA  LANDSCAPE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .45 

FAMINE-STRICKEN  DISTRICT  .  .  .  .  .  .47 

USAGARA  WOMEN  AT  HOME  .  .  .  .  .  .50 

SALLY  .........  53 

C.M.S.  MISSION  STATION,   ^FAMBOYA  .  .  .  .  .55 

CHIEF  OF  MAMBOYA,   WITH  HIS  SOX   AND  WITCH   DOCTOR      .  .  .57 

GERMAN  ROAD,  EAST  AFRICA  .  .  .  .  .  .  G3 

GERMAN  FORT,   MPWAPWA      .  .  .  ,  .  ,  .64 

KISOKWE       .......  .  .  65 

UGOGO  VILLAGE        .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .69 

GAME  DISTRICT         ........  71 

RAINS  UPON  US         .         •     .  .  .  .  .  .  .74 

TREE  FERNS  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .77 

USAG.\RA  QUEEN       ........  80 

WHERE  AFRIC'S  SUNNY  FOUNTAINS  .  .  .  .  .87 

SANDAWI  NATIVES     ........  90 

YOUNG  OSTRICH         ........  94 

CHIEF  OF  NERA  AND  WIVES  ...  .  .  98 

xxi 


xxii 


LIST  OF  ILLCSTRATIOXS. 


PAGE 

C.M.S.    MISSION  STATION,  NASA          ......  100 

KAPONGO,  CHIEF  OF  NASA    .......  101 

NATIVE  LOOM,  USUKUMA      .......  102 

READY  TO  EMBARK  ON  VICTORIA  NYANZA      .....  103 

UKEREWE,  chief's  ENCLOSURE         ......  106 

BOA  constrictor  KILLED  ON  ISLAND  OF  UKEREWE                .               .               .  107 

STORM  ON  VICTORIA  NYANZA              ......  110 

VIEW  ON  SESE  ISLANDS        .  .  .  .  .  .  .112 

WASESE  FISHERMEN               .......  11-3 

DEAD  HIPPOPOTAMUS             .......  114 

:SIENGO          .........  117 

INTERIOR  OF  MENGO  CATHEDRAL      ......  118 

missionaries'  HOUSE,  NAMIREMBE  ......  119 

INTERIOR  OF  :\riSSIONARIES'  HOUSE               .....  120 

KAMPALA      .........  121 

THE  FORT,  KAMPALA             .              .               .              .              .              ...  122 

MW.VNGA  AND  HIS   PARLIAI^IENT         ......  128 

HIS  OWN  COBBLER   ........  124 

THE  HOSPITAL,  NAMIREMBE               ......  128 

DR.  ALBERT  COOK  AND  STAFF           ......  129 

EFFORTS  TO  CATCH  ZEBRA                 ......  137 

ON  THE  ROAD  TO  TORO         .......  143 

PAPYPJ-^;  SWAMP        ........  146 

UGANDA   LANDSCAPE                 .......  148 

ROAD-MAKING,    UGANDA          .......  149 

ROAD  THROUGH  UGANDA  FOREST       ......  150 

HEARTY  RECEPTION,   TORO    .......  156 

KASA(,AMA,    KING   oK  TDRO    .......  160 

QUEEN   .MoTHKl;   (iF   'Idlio      .......  161 

a  distant  view  of  mountains  of  the  moon      ....  163 

sick  folk  .........  165 

toro  dispensary   ........  166 

king's  hill,  kabarole     .......  168 

the  lion  killer  with  his  spear          .....  171 

typical  toro  hut            .......  173 

c.m.s.  mission  station  toro      ......  175 

a  typical  road     ........  177 

soudanese  sentry          .         .         .         .         .         .         .  182 

happy  niggers,  plenty  to  eat    .          .          .          .          .          .  183 

mpanga  river       ........  188 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIOXS. 


xxiii 


PAGK 

brick-making,  toko        .......  192 

poles  for  building  purposes     ......  193 

missionaries'  mud-house,  toro    ......  194 

thatching  .........  196 

gardening  in  toro          .......  198 

french  mission,  toro      .......  203 

crater  of  extinct  volcano,  toro          .....  208 

crater  of  extinct  volcano,  toro          .....  209 

swampy  ground     ........  212 

MWENGE       .........  213 

OFF  TO  SEE  PRINCE  MATU.      (REFRESHMENT  BY  THE  WAY)                .               .  215 

BAMBA           .........  222 

HOT  SPRINGS             ........  223 

NATIVES  WASHING  IN  HOT  SPRINGS                .....  224 

BAMBA  WARRIORS  AT  THE  HOT  SPRINGS       .....  225 

TABALO,   CHIEF  OF  MBOGA    .......  227 

CHURCH  AT  MBOGA,   WITH  TWO  WAGANDA  TEACHERS              .               .               .  228 

MWANGA,  EX-KING  OF  UGANDA          ......  231 

DAUDI  CHWA,  PRESENT  KING  OF  UGANDA     .....  234 

SOUDANESE  TROOPS                .......  235 

KATIKIRO  OF  UGANDA,  WITH  HIS  SON           .....  239 

A  FAITHFUL  UGANDA  CHIEF               ......  241 

MY  PERSONAL  ESCORT  DURING  SOUDANESE  REBELLION          .              .              .  243 

MIKA,   MY  FAITHFUL  GUN-BEARER    ......  244 

HARD  AT  IT               .              .              .              .                             .              .              .  247 

A  WILD  COUNTRY     .              .              .              .              .              .              .              .  27J 

EARTHQUAKE  CAMP  ........  280 

RWIMI  RIVER             ........  282 

WAKON.TO  VILLAGE    ........  286 

SALT  LAKE                  ........  288 

THE  ANGLO-BELGIAN  FRONTIER          ......  291 

KARnri       .........  293 

THE  FERRY                ........  295 

FORT  MRENI              ........  297 

FIRST  CAMP  IN   FOREST         .......  ,300 

INTERIOR  OF  ANT  HILL        .......  301 

.MY  CARAVAN   CROSSING  RIVER   IN   PYGMY   FOREST      ....  303 

MY  CARAVAN  IN  FOREST        .......  .305 

CROSSING  A  RIVER  IN  THE  FOREST                .....  307 

A  VISIT   FROM  THE  DWARFS  .  .  .  .  .  .811 


xxi\' 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATJOXS. 


PAGE 

BISHOP   TUCKER  AXD  TYGMY  T.ADY                  .....  323 

PYGMY  TEMPLES       .               .              .              .              .              .              .              .  325 

A  ROGUE  ELEPHANT  SCATTERS  THE  CARAVAN             ....  327 

A  RIVER  PEEP  IN  THE  FOREST          ......  331 

BELGIAN  OFFICER,   AVAKUBI                ......  339 

HOUSES,  AVAKUBI    .               .......  340 

BUYING  IVORY  FROM  THE  CANNIBALS             .....  341 

CANOEING  ON  ARUVVIMI         .......  343 

PASSING  THROUGH  CANNIBAL  LAND                .....  344 

A  BANGWA  VILLAGE                .......  347 

BANGWA  WARRIOR  CHIEFS                   ......  349 

CANNIBALS   .........  351 

CANNIBAL  FISHERMEN            .                ......  354 

FLEET  OF  CANOES    ........  355 

CANNIBAL  POTTERY                .......  357 

THE  BICYCLE  AND  THE  CANNIBALS  ......  359 

YAMBUYA       .........  362 

BASOKO         .........  363 

BARUMBU     .........  366 

CANNIBAL  HOUSES  ON   THE  UPPER  CONGO     .....  367 

ARRIVAL  OF  THE   STEAMER                 ......  368 

UPOTO        .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .  369 

FUEL  STATION,  UPPER  CONGO            ......  370 

NATIVE  TYPES,  UPPER  CONGO           .               .              .              .              .              .  371 

DOVER  CLIFFS,    STANLEY  POOL           .                .....  372 

TYPE  OF  MEN  USED  AS  B0AT:\IEN  ON  STATE  STEAMERS         .               .               .  373 

LEOPOLDVILLE           ........  375 

OLD  CARAVAN  ROUTE  TO  COAST  FROM  LEOPOLDVILLE             .               .               .  376 

THE  NEW  WAY          ........  377 

VILLAGE  ON   CONGO                 .......  378 

RAPIDS  ON   LOWER   CONGO     .......  379 

STOPPING    FiH;   WATER            .......  380 

RAILWAY  SHEDS         ........  381 

MAPS. 

CENTRAL   AFRICA.      (SHOWING  ROUTE  TAKEN  BY  A.   B.  LLOYD)           .               .  21 

TORO  coNi  F.DF.RACY  .  .  .    Lixfrf  heticeeii  iKifK's  1-5!^  and  159 

TORO    AND    ARfWIMI    DISTRICTS.  (SHOWING    ROUTE    OF    A.     J!.  LT.oYD) 

Insert  })etween  pages  274  and  27o 


IN  DWAEF  LAND 


PART  I 

ENGLAND    TO  UGANDA 
CHAPTEE  I 

ENGLAND  TO  ZANZIBAR 

The  Gmil — Passengers — The  Doctor  as  an  entertainer — Musical  talent, 
&c. — Lisbon — The  Portuguese — Teneriffe — Sunday  on  board — Cape 
Town— We  meet  with  friends — Algoa  Bay— Durban — The  Kaffirs — 
Delagoa  Bay — Beira — Mozambique — Zanzibar — Hotel  d'Angleterre — 
Change  of  plans — We  secure  porters,  boys,  &c. — "  Mission  boy" — We 
select  donkeys — Universities'  Mission — Ramazan — Tippu-Tib — Ready 
to  start. 

IT  was  on  July  14,  1894,  that  the  ss.  Gaul  steamed  out 
of  Southampton  Docks,  having  on  hoard  a  mixed  cargo 
and  a  large  numher  of  passengers.  Of  the  former  I  shall 
say  nothing,  of  the  latter  but  little. 

We  were  bound  for  Zanzibar  by  way  of  the  Cape.  But 
the  good  ship  Gaul  first  claims  a  share  of  our  attention. 
To  myself — an  inexperienced  voyager,  who  up  to  that 
day  had  been  upon  no  larger  craft  than  the  Fleetwood 
to  Dublin  boats — it  seemed  like  fairyland ;  and  as  I 
wandered  up  and  down  its  gangways,  in  and  out  of  its 

2  1 


/X  D]VARF  LAND 


saloons,  I  decided  in  ni}^  own  mind  that  no  better  ship 
was  ever  afloat. 

I  was  one  of  a  party  of  four  missionaries  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  bound  for  Uganda.  We  travehed 
second  class ;  but  even  the  second-class  cabins  of  the 
Gaul  seemed  luxurious,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  one 
in  which  I  was  to  live  was  occupied  by  three  others. 

Being  a  twin-screw^  flat-bottomed  boat,  the  rolling 
which  I  had  experienced  on  a  fishing  smack  on  the 
North  Sea  some  few  weeks  before  was  almost  unknown, 
and  I  was  able  to  enjoy  to  the  full  a  stroll  on  deck, 
without  the  inconvenience  of  being  obliged  to  hold  on 
to  everything  that  came  w^ithin  one's  reach. 

The  passengers  were  a  mixed  company.  There  was 
the  first-class  section,  consisting  of  the  South  African 
millionaire,  the  fashionable  Colonial  girl,  the  wealthy 
trader,  and  the  wild  young  English  gentleman  going 
out  to  the  pleasure  fields  of  Africa,  seeking  to  pass  away 
a  few  years  of  his  life  with  a  little  adventure  and 
excitement. 

Of  the  second-class  passengers  but  little  can  be  said. 
The  missionary  element  was  strong,  for,  besides  the  party 
to  which  I  belonged — which  consisted  of  the  Eevs.  A.  J. 
Pike,  G.  E.  Blackledge,  and  Mr.  H.  B.  Lewin — there 
were  two  other  clergymen  bound  as  missionaries  for 
South  Africa. 

I  don't  know  why  it  should  be,  but  still  it  is  a  fact,  that 
missionaries  on  board  an  ocean  liner  seem  to  be  looked 
upon  as  a  class  of  individuals  who  are  to  be  carefully 
avoided,  and  to  be  given  a  wade  berth  on  all  occasions, 
and  on  this  particular  voyage  such  a  state  of  affairs 
seemed  to  threaten.  We  determined  that  it  should  not 
be  our  fault  if  it  w^ere  so.  If  we  are  missionaries,  we  are 
men,  and  if,  instead  of  giving  up  our  lives  to  the  seeking 
of  earthly  riches  in  the  shape  of  gold  dust  and  diamonds, 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


3 


we  have  deliberately  given  them  up  to  what  we  deem  a 
worthier  cause,  namely,  that  of  seeking  to  raise  the 
degraded  heathen  from  a  state  of  ignorance,  darkness, 
and  sin  to  righteousness  and  to  God,  surely  "  a  man's  a 
man  for  a'  that,"  and  it  should  not  mean  that  we  are  to 
be  looked  upon  as  those  w^ho  are  not  worthy  of  the  notice 
which  is  paid  to  any  ordinary  being. 

However,  on  this  particular  voyage  nothing  could  have 
been  more  pleasant  ;  from  our  good  captain  to  the 
humblest  person  on  board  the  missionaries  received  the 
greatest  kindness  and  goodwill — in  fact,  missionary  and 
gold-digger,  cleric  and  millionaire,  all  conversed  and  joked 
together  during  this  memorable  voyage. 

The  leading  spirit  on  the  boat  was  undoubtedly  the 
doctor.  As  the  weather  w^as  good  and  the  sea  calm, 
there  were  not  many  who  were  afflicted  with  that  most 
troublesome  of  all  complaints,  mal-de-mer,  the  doctor 
therefore  had  all  his  energies  directed  in  another  and 
more  pleasant  channel,  that  of  entertaining,  and  we  were 
all  far  more  glad  to  take  his  jokes  than  to  take  his  pills. 
Almost  every  evening  some  kind  of  concert  or  entertain- 
ment was  arranged  by  him,  beside  the  ordinary  games 
that  are  played  on  an  ocean  liner,  such  as  cricket,  quoits, 
bucket  quoits,  skittles,  kc. 

We  had  a  considerable  amount  of  musical  talent 
amongst  some  of  the  passengers.  A  lady  pianist,  whose 
brilliant  playing  always  attracted  great  attention,  w^as 
most  long-suffering,  and  always  ready  to  do  her  best 
to  entertain  the  company.  The  violinist  called  forth 
even  louder  praise  from  his  enraptured  listeners.  Out 
on  the  open  sea,  with  no  other  sound  than  the  gentle 
splashing  of  the  waves  against  the  mighty  sides  of  the 
ship,  the  melody  rose  and  fell  in  glorious  cadence,  some- 
times like  an  angel's  whisper,  and  then  suddenly  changing 
to  the  weird  cry  of  a  soul  in  bitter  agony  and  distress. 


4 


/.  V  DWARF  LAND. 


The  vocalists,  too,  were  by  no  means  deficient  in  talent, 
and  what  with  the  rollicking  sea-song,  the  pathetic  and 
sentimental  love-song,  we  had  great  variety  and  endless 
amusement.  Another  entertainer  hailed  from  the  third- 
class  quarters,  evidently  an  old  hand  on  ocean  steamers. 
His  entertainment  consisted  of  a  phonograph,  for  which 
he  had  a  very  large  number  of  cylinders,  and  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  this  machine  was  called  upon  to  issue  forth  its 
strange  reproductions  of  music-hall  songs,  &c.,  which  it 
did  with  w^onderfal  distinctness.  All  these  different 
sources  of  amusement  tended  to  make  the  journey  to 
the  Cape  very  enjoyable,  bearing  in  mind  the  fact  that  the 
weather  was  delightful  and  the  sea  calm  as  a  mill-pond. 

Our  first  stopping-place  was  Lisbon,  and  as  we  made 
our  way  up  the  river  and  approached  the  town,  we  were 
much  struck  with  its  beaut}^ ;  but  upon  landing,  our  eyes 
were  opened  to  some  of  the  disappointing  sights.  The 
houses,  which  in  the  distance  looked  spotlessly  white, 
seemed  now  to  be  dirty,  plastered  buildings. 

It  was  at  Lisbon  that  I  was  first  introduced  to  the 
Portuguese,  and  I  cannot  say  that  I  formed  a  very  high 
opinion  of  them.  Very  dirty  in  mind  and  person  seems 
to  me  a  brief  summary  of  the  ordinary  Portuguese. 

The  population  appeared  to  consist,  for  the  most  part, 
of  fat,  well-favoured  priests,  who  drove  about  in  carriages, 
and  gaudily  dressed  women.  We  visited  several  of  the 
churches,  and  on  account  of  the  large  number  concluded 
that  the  Portuguese  must  be  a  very  religious  people ; 
and,  indeed,  they  are  to  a  certain  extent,  if  ceremonial 
and  church-going  count  for  anything.  The  churches, 
from  the  outside,  appear  to  be  well  built,  and  one  expects 
the  inside  to  be  in  keeping,  but  again  comes  disappoint- 
ment —tinsel  and  gold-painted  walls  ;  images,  which  at 
a  little  distance  appear  to  be  fine  pieces  of  sculpture,  are 
nothing,  upon  close  inspection,  but  plaster  and  wood. 


IX  DWARF  LAXD. 


5 


As  tradespeople  the  Portuguese  amused  us  very  much. 
We  went  into  a  shop  to  buy  a  hat ;  the  good  man  pro- 
duced a  great  number,  and  one  at  a  tnne  tried  them  on 
his  own  head,  all  shiny  with  grease,  and  then  handed 
them  to  the  purchaser.  Deciding  upon  one  of  these  hats, 
we  asked  the  price  ;  600  reis  was  asked  ;  we  immediately 
said  500,  and,  without  a  word,  the  shopkeeper  assented. 
We  gave  him  the  equivalent  in  English  money  and  walked 
out,  he,  taking  off  his  hat  and  bowing  most  politely,  and 
w^e,  returning  the  compliment,  retired,  hardly  controlling 
our  amusement. 

After  twelve  hours'  stay  in  Lisbon,  the  Gaul  proceeded 
on  her  way,  and  another  three  days  brought  us  to 
Teneriffe.  We  dropped  anchor  at  8  p.m.,  a  most  glorious 
night,  full  moon,  and  a  gentle  breeze  blowing  from  the 
land,  where  the  gay  Spaniards  seemed  to  be  enjoying  the 
cool  air,  promenading  up  and  down  the  sea  front,  listening 
to  the  bands  of  music  which  were  adding  an  additional 
charm  to  that  of  the  quiet  evening  stroll.  As  we  stood 
on  deck  admiring  the  beautiful  mountain  peak  of  Teyde, 
some  12,180  feet  high,  the  moon  casting  her  silvery  light 
over  the  scene,  making  it  one  of  exceptional  beauty,  the 
strains  of  music  came  to  us  borne  upon  the  soft  night  air, 
mingled  with  the  hum  of  voices  from  the  shore,  while  the 
water  rippled  at  our  feet,  and  our  thoughts  were  lifted  up 
to  Him  the  Maker  of  all  things,  in  whom  we  live  and 
move  and  have  our  being,  and  holy  desires  filled  our 
hearts  as  we  thought  of  the  work  before  us  amongst  the 
heathen  who  know  not  God. 

Our  stay  at  Teneriffe  was  a  short  one,  and  before  mid- 
night we  were  again  under  weigh. 

Sunday  on  board  an  ocean  liner  has  been  described  as  a 
"  slow^  day."  This  at  any  rate  could  not  be  applied  to  the 
Sundays  on  board  the  Gaul.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary 
services  held  in  the  first-class  saloon  by  the  chaplain  on 


6 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


board,  the  captain  very  kindly  allowed  a  service  to  be 
conducted  on  the  after  deck,  and  it  was  found  that  this 
move  met  with  a  most  hearty  reception  from  all  the 
passengers.  The  stewards  brought  up  a  large  number  of 
chairs  for  the  occasion,  and  bright  singing  and  speaking 
were  characteristic  of  the  services.  Each  Sunday  evening 
sacred  songs  were  sung  by  various  passengers,  and  so  the 
days  passed  by. 

On  August  5th  we  arrived  at  Cape  Town,  and  here  the 
majority  of  the  passengers  left  the  boat. 

We  were  dehghted  with  the  very  hearty  reception  we 
received  from  our  friends  in  Cape  Tow^n.  As  soon  as 
ever  we  arrived  at  the  harbour  side,  a  letter  was  put  into 
our  hands  from  a  warm  C.M.S.  supporter,  inviting  us  to 
spend  the  day  with  him ;  and  we  were  afterwards  met  by 
Mr.  Wilmot  and  taken  off  to  Mowbray,  to  the  north  of 
the  great  Table  Mountain,  a  most  lovely  place,  nestling 
at  the  foot  of  this  great  mountain,  and  here  w^e  were 
welcomed  by  numerous  warm-hearted  colonists. 

Meetings  were  immediately  arranged,  and  the  day  after 
W'C  arrived  we  were  called  upon  to  address  three  distinct 
gatherings.  They  were  all  of  a  large  and  enthusiastic 
character,  and  when  one  realised  that  all  the  advertising 
was  done  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  it  was  a  great 
wonder  that  in  so  short  a  time  a  meeting  could  be 
convened. 

The  fact  was  that  the  more  enthusiastic  among  the 
promoters  w^ent  round  to  their  friends  with  their  carriages, 
and  brought  them  in  these  to  the  meeting.  It  was  a 
delightful  break  in  a  long  voyage,  and  we  all  look  back 
upon  those  three  days  with  the  greatest  pleasure. 

After  caUing  for  two  hours  at  MosselBay,  we  proceeded 
to  Algoa  Bay.  The  view  of  the  seaport  town,  Port 
Elizabeth,  from  the  ship,  was  very  fine ;  and  going  ashore 
w^e  were  at  once  struck  with  the  imposing  appearance  of 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


7 


some  of  the  buildings,  such  as  the  Customs  House,  Post 
Office,  Free  Library,  Market  House,  Museum,  and  others. 
Bullock  waggons  are  largely  used,  we  noticed  some  teams 
of  from  sixteen  to  eighteen.  The  bullocks  are  fastened 
to  the  w^aggon  in  pairs,  by  a  long  chain  from  the  yoke  on 
their  necks.  Tram-cars  and  phaetons  of  the  latest  im- 
proved kind  are  seen  everywhere.  In  one  of  the  former 
we  drove  out  to  the  park  about  a  mile  from  the  town ; 
the  gardens  were  beautifully  decked  wdth  all  kinds  of 
flowers,  such  as  one  is  accustomed  to  see  only  in  conser- 


POKT  ELIZABETH  MARKET  HALL. 


vatories.  One  of  the  greatest  charms  of  Port  Elizabeth 
is  the  abundance  of  the  eucalyptus  and  all  kinds  of  gums, 
which  grow  in  great  numbers  even  along  the  streets  of 
the  town,  filling  the  air  with  their  sweet  fragrance.  India- 
rubber  and  castor  oil  plants  grow  as  large  as  oak  trees  at 
home,  and  plumbago  is  seen  in  the  hedges.  Our  next 
stopping  place  was  in  East  London,  but  we  only  remained 
a  few  hours,  steaming  along  quite  close  to  the  coast,  near, 
enough  to  enable  us  with  the  aid  of  our  glasses  to  see 
very  distinctly  the  houses  and  people  on  shore. 


8 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


On  the  16th,  ^ye  passed  the  mouth  of  the  River  St.  John, 
which  divides  Cape  Colony  from  Pondoland.  The  coast 
is  very  pretty,  and  the  hihs  which  rise  from  the  water's 
edge  are  well  covered  with  trees. 

The  same  day  w^e  reached  Dm^ban.  We  were  particu- 
larly charmed  with  this  place ;  it  seemed  quite  Oriental 
in  character.  There  were  coolies  wearing  white  costumes 
and  turbans,  such  as  one  associates  with  India,  and 
numbers  of  Ayahs  too,  who  seemed  to  be  more  of  the 
Hindu  than  African  type.    Probably  in  the  early  days 


DURBAN  BKEAKWATEK.     (SHOWING  CHAIN  GANG.) 


of  colonisation,  these  coolies  were  brought  from  India 
to  work  in  the  sugar  plantations,  but  now  have  become 
settlers  in  the  country,  and  take  all  kinds  of  employ- 
ment. Some  are  waiters  in  the  restaurants,  others  are 
employed  as  nurses  to  the  little  children  of  white  colonists. 

The  Kaffirs  are  of  course  quite  different ;  very  fine 
fellows  physically,  and  thoroughly  good-natured.  Their 
clothing  is  curious,  being  a  mixture  of  all  kinds  of  left-off 
European  apparel,  and  on  one  occasion  I  saw  a  great 
fellow  dressed  up  ni  a  pair  of  lady's  corsets.    Their  ears 


IN  DWARF  LA  AW. 


9 


are  pierced,  and  in  the  hole  they  carry  numerous  trinkets, 
lead  pencils,  safety  pins,  beads,  &C.  When  at  work,  these 
coolies  are  conspicuous  for  their  want  of  costume ;  a  little 
piece  of  sacking  worn  round  the  waist  is  all  they  think 
necessary. 

On  the  breakwater,  we  noticed  a  gang  of  convicts  at 
work  in  chains  ;  they  seemed  quite  satisfied  wdth  their 
lot,  laughing  and  joking  together  as  they  performed  the 
task  assigned  to  them. 

At  Durban  fruit  is  very  cheap  ;  even  before  the  real 


DL'KBAN  TOWN  HALL. 

fruit  season,  bananas  were  sold,  twenty  for  8d.,  pine- 
apples •2d.  each,  tomatoes  3d.  per  pound.  In  the  fruit 
season  pineapples  can  be  bought  for  a  halfpenny  each,  and 
the  other  fruits  proportionately  cheap.  We  finished  up  a 
very  pleasant  day  in  Durban  by  a  "  rickshaw  "  race  down 
to  the  quay.  The  men  were  all  Zulus,  and  started  off  with 
us  at  a  good  hard  trot ;  my  man  was  particularly  strong, 
and  ran  the  whole  waj^  some  two  miles,  to  the  quay  side, 
thus  winning  the  race,  for  which  he  received  an  extra 
sixpence. 


lO 


AV  DWARF  LAXD. 


From  Durban  to  Delagoa  Bay,  it  is  a  twenty-four  hours' 
run.  There  is  nothing  very  striking  about  the  bay, 
apart  from  the  fact  of  its  being  a  magnificent  natural 
harbour ;  if  it  ^Yere  not  so  very  shallow,  I  suppose  it  would 
be  one  of  the  best  harbours  in  any  part  of  Africa.  As  it 
is,  it  is  necessary  for  a  large  ship  to  go  very  slowly,  and 
to  take  constant  soundings.  The  Portuguese,  not  being  a 
very  enterprising  people,  appear  to  do  little  or  nothing 
towards  improving  the  harbour.  The  town  is  called 
Lorenzo  Marquez,  and  although  it  is  a  Portuguese  settle- 


BEIRA  CANTEEN. 


ment,  English  is  spoken  pretty  generally.  The  whole 
style  of  the  place  is  most  depressing ;  it  appears  to  be 
built  in  the  midst  of  a  desert,  for  just  outside  the  main 
streets,  sand  is  everywhere. 

We  reached  Beira  on  August  23rd.  This  is  a  ver}^ 
queer  place,  houses  and  stores  all  ljuilt  of  corrugated  iron  ; 
streets  ankle  deep  in  sand.  There  are  about  five  hundred 
white  inhabitants,  and  each  seems  to  keep  his  own  carriage, 
and  instead  of  horses,  they  have  natives  to  push  them. 
One  that  we  saw  was  like  a  small  trolley,  with  seats  for 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


two  ;  others  were  capable  of  accommodating  between  six 
and  eight  passengers.  There  appeared  to  be  no  beasts  of 
bmxlen,  except  the  native,  for,  alas !  he  seems  to  have  to 
take  their  place,  but  we  saw  one  donkey  and  one  horse. 

From  Beira  we  had  about  three  days'  run  to  Mozam- 
bique, one  of  the  early  Portuguese  settlements  dating 
from  the  year  1500,  built  upon  a  small  island  just  off  the 
coast. 

At  one  end  of  the  island  still  stands  the  old  fort  built 
by  the  Portuguese  when  they  first  took  possession,  and  it 
is  still  used  as  a  fort,  and  also  as  a  prison  for  unfortunate 
convicts,  and  woe  betide  the  poor  wretch  who  once  finds 
himself  within  those  prison  walls,  for  he  will  be  lucky  if 
he  gets  out  again.  The  town  seen  from  the  sea  is  very 
picturesque,  and  the  streets,  although  very  narrow,  are 
clean  and  well  kept.  Oranges  were  very  plentiful  here, 
six  being  bought  for  a  penny. 

All  day  long  huge  sharks  were  swimming  round  our 
boat,  seen  distinctly  in  the  clear  blue  water ;  one,  a  very 
large  one,  kept  coming  quite  to  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  would  devour  any  kind  of  food  that  was  thrown  to 
it. 

After  one  more  stoppage,  at  Ibo — a  small  place  of  which 
we  saw  nothing,  as  the  water  was  so  shallow  the  Gaul 
could  not  approach  the  town— we  finally,  on  August  30th, 
cast  anchor  off  the  coast  of  Zanzibar. 

It  was  not  long  before  we  made  our  way  to  shore  ;  the 
heat  was  intense,. 95°  in  the  shade.  We  were  met  by  our 
agents  and  conducted  to  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre,  a  very 
typical  Zanzibar  hotel ;  it  contained  a  large  open  drinking- 
bar  on  the  ground  floor  with  a  small  stage  at  one  end,  little 
tables  scattered  over  the  room,  and  a  multitude  of  chairs. 
The  chief  occupants  of  the  bar  upon  our  arrival  were 
British  and  German  man-of-war's  men,  each  vainly  trying 
to  understand  the  other,  and  all  in  a  more  or  less  happy 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


condition.  Upstairs  we  found  a  spacious  dining-room 
and  good  bedrooms,  altogether  a  very  comfortable  place. 

Our  first  desire  was  to  know  from  our  agents  what  had 
been  done  about  a  caravan  for  up-country,  as  w^e  w^ere 
very  unwilling  to  make  a  long  stay  at  Zanzibar. 

They  told  us  that  to  proceed  along  the  northern  route 
via  Mombasa  was  quite  out  of  the  question,  on  account 
of  a  famine  caused  by  a  plague  of  locusts,  and  that  all 


ZAXZIBAE. 


porters  on  the  northern  route  were  wanted  by  the 
Government.  Oar  only  course,  therefore,  was  to  go 
through  German  East  Africa  to  the  south  of  Lake 
Victoria,  then  across  the  lake  to  Uganda.  A  large 
number  of  porters  had  come  to  the  coast  bringing  ivory, 
&c.,  from  the  interior  for  Mr.  Stokes,  a  trader.  They  were 
Wanyamwezi  and  Wasukuma  from  the  districts  just 
south  of  the  Victoria  Nyanza.  These  men,  wanting  to 
get  back  to  their  own  country,  were  only  too  ready  to  be 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


13 


engaged  by  us  as  porters.  There  were  close  upon  five 
hundred  of  these  fellows,  but  of  course  we  only  required 
about  thirty  each ;  the  rest  would  carry  cowrie  shells  for 
Mr.  Stokes.  This  was  very  fortunate,  as  otherwise  we 
might  have  had  great  dilhculty  in  procuring  porters. 

In  Zanzibar  we  had  our  work  cut  out,  first,  the 
engaging  of  servants — boys,  as  they  are  called ;  we  were 
again  fairly  fortunate.  We  each  had  an  experienced 
cook,  a  personal  boy,  and  a  donkey  bo}^  My  cook  had 
been  several  times  to  Uganda,  the  last  time  as  cook  to 
Major  Williams,  and  was  therefore  quite  at  home  as  a 
campaigner.  He  could  speak  a  kind  of  English  which 
was  understandable  after  a  little  acquaintance  w^ith  him, 
and  had  a  good  stock  of  information  with  reference  to 
the  country. 

Some  of  our  personal  boys  did  not  turn  out  as  well  as 
we  expected.  They  came  to  us  saying  that  they  were 
"mission  boys,"  and. we,  of  course,  took  this  as  a  recom- 
mendation ;  but,  alas  !  we  had  not  learned  that  this  term 
is  used  by  all  the  scamps  in  Zanzibar  in  order  to  procure 
a  place  for  themselves,  no  matter  whether  they  have  ever 
been  to  the  mission  or  not.  They  know  perfectly  well 
that  a  new-comer  to  Africa  would  at  once  think  well  of  a 
mission  boy,  and  the  Zanzibaris  are  sharp  enough  to 
know  it.  This  has  often  given  rise  to  a  very  wrong  idea 
with  reference  to  missionary  work  at  the  coast.  I  have 
often  heard  travellers  in  Africa  say  :  "  Oh  yes,  I  had  a 
'  mission '  boy  and  he  turned  out  a  young  scoundrel,  and 
that's  what  your,  missionaries  are  doing,  spoiling  the 
natives." 

Apart  from  the  impossibility  of  Christianity,  which,  to 
put  it  at  its  lowest  estimate,  is  the  highest  and  purest 
form  of  moral  teaching,  and  could  not  possibly  spoil  any 
man,  black  or  white, — the  very  fact  that  these  boys  use 
the  term  "  mission  boy,"  shows  that  they  themselves 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


recognise  that  if  they  can  associate  themselves  with  the 
mission,  they  will  he  looked  upon  as  trustworthy  hoys. 

My  own  personal  boy,  of  whom  I  shall  have  to  speak 
later  on,  w^as  not  such  a  bad  fellow  after  all,  and  but  for 
the  fact  that  he  disgraced  himself  on  one  or  two  occasions, 
he  proved  a  most  invaluable  servant  to  me. 

We  also  had  to  procure  donkeys,  by  no  means  an  easy 
task.  When  we  had  made  our  requirements  known, 
great  numbers  of  donkeys  were  brought  to  us  of  various 
prices,  from  200  to  700  rupees  each ;  some  of  them  very 
much  faked  up,  others,  fine  sturdy  little  animals,  which 
needed  not  to  be  specially  prepared  for  the  sale. 

Of  course  each  one  had  to  be  tried,  as  we  were  to  use 
them  for  riding  purposes,  and  in  this  we  had  various 
experiences.  I  had  set  my  mind  upon  a  fine  female 
donkey,  and  therefore  took  her  out  for  an  afternoon's 
ride,  and  I  shall  not  forget  it.  At  first  when  I  mounted 
her,  she  would  not  move,  in  spite  of  all  my  most  tender 
persuasions,  and  finally  she  began  to  back.  Now  the 
streets  of  Zanzibar  are  very  narrow,  and  coming  up 
behind  me  was  a  large  bullock  waggon,  and  my  sweet- 
tempered  donkey  backed  herself  right  on  to  the  horns  of 
the  bullocks,  and  then,  it  was  not  a  case  of  making  her 
go,  but  of  trying  to  make  her  stop.  Away  she  flew,  right 
along  the  Naza  Moja  road,  and  nothing  that  I  could  do 
would  stop  her  headlong  career  ;  in  fact  I  soon  got  tired 
of  trying,  and  so  let  her  go,  and  on  she  went  right  in 
among  the  cocoa-nut  trees,  dashing  along,  regardless  of 
everything,  until  she  came  to  a  steep  bank  and  here  she 
stopped.  This  showed  that  she  had  good  sense,  and  I 
therefore  decided  to  keep  her,  and  a  great  boon  she  was 
to  me  in  our  weary  tramp  up  to  the  Victoria  Lake.  Our 
next  business  was  to  arrange  our  loads.  Those  wanted  on 
the  road  were  to  be  marked  and  given  out  to  the  most 
sturdy  men  among  the  porters  ;  everything  was  carefully 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


17 


weighed,  no  load  being  more  than  65  lbs.  was  allowed, 
but  even  this  we  found  was  too  great  a  weight  to  be 
carried  by  one  man  day  after  day  for  three  months. 

One  man,  however,  who  carried  my  bed  and  blankets 
was  a  veritable  giant  in  strength,  his  load  weighing  over 
70  lbs.,  and  he  wished  to  carry  it  alone,  and  did  so  the 
whole  way  and  never  once  was  late  into  camp,  nearly 


A  PORTER.     (WITH  HIS  LOAD.) 


always  being  at  the  head  of  the  caravan.  The  Wan- 
yam  wezi  carry  the  Loads  on  the  shoulders,  not  on  the 
head  as  do  the  Swahili  porters,  but  although  not  so  strong 
as  the  Swahili,  they  go  along  much  quicker,  indeed  three 
miles  an  hour  is  what  our  men  usually  did  when  the  roads 
were  good. 

Before  starting  up-country,  we  visited  our  friends  of 

3 


i8 


IN  D]VARF  LAND. 


the  Universities'  Mission  at  Kiangani,  and  although  on 
account  of  the  short  time  at  our  disposal  we  saw  but  little 
of  the  work  done  by  these  devoted  men  and  women,  still 
what  we  did  see  impressed  us  as  being  of  great  value. 
Their  Church  in  Zanzibar,  however,  could  not  please  a 
Protestant  Churchman  —  high  mass,  altar  lights,  the 
confessional,  incense,  Mary  altars,  all  abounded,  and  it 
would  be  difficult  to  find  any  difference  between  this  and 
an  ordinary  Eoman  Catholic  Chapel.  Perhaps  no  differ- 
ence was  intended. 

We  also  witnessed,  during  our  stay  in  Zanzibar,  the 
great  festival  of  the  Mohammedans  on  the  occasion  of 
the  Eamazan.  It  took  place  in  front  of  the  Sultan's 
Palace,  the  Saltan  himself  taking  part  upon  the  verandah 
of  his  palace ;  thousands  of  devout  Mohammedans  flock 
to  this  place  for  prayer  with  the  great  idea  in  their  minds 
of  fulfilling  a  religious  duty.  The  festival  is  kept  on  the 
first  day  on  w^hich  a  certain  new  moon  is  actually  seen, 
and  as  there  is  always  some  little  variation  as  regards  the 
day  on  which  the  moon  is  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  no 
man  is  ever  quite  certain  that  it  is  the  day  of  the  festival. 
After  a  brief  reading  of  the  Koran,  during  which  all  stand 
by  their  kneeling  mats  with  bare  feet  and  covered  heads, 
the  whole  congregation  bows  low  in  deep  reverence,  and 
then  sways  backw^ards  and  forwards  chanting  some  prayer 
to  Allah.  The  w^hole  scene  is  most  impressive  and  every 
one  seems  in  dead  earnest. 

During  the  first  day  of  the  feast  (which  lasts  a  whole 
month),  no  food  or  drink  is  supposed  to  be  taken  by  the 
devout  Mohammedan  until  night  fall ;  and  when  the 
month  is  over  and  another  new^  moon  begins,  all  meet 
in  the  morning  in  the  most  public  manner  possible  to 
perform  their  devotions.  Any  one  who  has  at  all  studied 
the  Mohammedan  religion  cannot  but  be  impressed  by  the 
fact  that,  at  any  rate,  during  prayer  time,  the  Mohammedan 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


19 


is  most  devout,  but,  alas!  this  great  religious  system  falls 
short.  Where  woman  is  looked  upon  as  a  thing  to  be 
bought  and  sold,  and  to  exist  only  to  satisfy  the  lowest 
passion  of  the  man,  and  where  she  is  told  that  as  a  dog 
she  must  die,  and  have  no  hope  hereafter,  from  thence  can 
come  no  good,  and  through  all  heathendom  no  places  are 
more  dark  and  need  so  much  the  "Living  Words  of 
God"  as  the  Mohammedan  lands. 

The  same  day  as  the  Eamazan  festival,  I  had  the 


WASL-KUMA    POl;  I 


pleasure  of  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  notorious 
Tippu-Tib,  meeting  him  one  day  in  the  street.  He  is 
quite  an  old  man  now  with  long  grey  beard,  but  his  eyes 
were  keen  and  sharp  as  ever,  and  as  he  walked  along  in 
great  state  under  a  s;ixiall  escort  of  Zanzibar  police,  one 
could  not  but  think,  what  a  history  such  a  man  has  ! 
T  afterwards  had  great  cause  to  be  thankful  that  ever  I 
met  Tippu-Tib.  The  reader  will  remember  him  in 
connection  with  Mr.  H.  M.  Stanley  when  on  the  Emin 
Pasha  relief  expedition.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
great  slave  trader  with  a  very  large  following  of  Arabs, 


20 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


lioiirishing  in  the  district  which  Hes  between  Stanley- 
Falls,  on  the  Congo,  and  Lake  Tanganika.  He  was 
employed  by  Mr.  Stanley  to  convey  to  Stanley  Falls 
about  seventy-five  tons  of  ivory  which  was  in  the 
possession  of  Dr.  Emin,  and  was  stored  on  the  Lake 
Albert  shores ;  and  he  was  also  made  governor  of  Stanley 
Falls,  at  a  regular  salary  from  the  Congo  Free  State,  to 
stop  all  persons  from  raiding  the  natives  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  slaves,  and  to  stop  the  practice  himself.  It 
was  therefore  just  a  case  of  "  setting  a  thief  to  catch  a 
thief."  He  did  not  keep  faith  with  Mr.  Stanley,  and  all 
his  promises  were  broken,  and  very  serious  trouble  arose 
from  the  fact  of  allowing  this  notoriously  bad  fellow  to 
retain  any  kind  of  power  in  Central  Africa. 

At  last,  after  exactly  one  month's  stay  in  Zanzibar,  all 
was  ready  for  the  start  up  country.  Porters,  boys  and 
donkeys,  all  eager  to  cross  to  the  mainland  at  Saadani. 
There,  in  Messrs.  Boustead  and  Eidley's  yard,  were 
all  our  goods,  everything  ready  packed.  There  were 
the  "chop  boxes  "  for  the  road,  and  the  "chop  boxes" 
for  up-country  ;  the  cook's  box  and  the  cooking  pots, 
clothes  boxes  for  the  road,  and  clothes  boxes  for  up- 
country,  tents  and  beds,  camp  tables  and  chairs,  all  in 
apple-pie  order.  As  we  looked  at  these  our  possessions, 
we  could  not  help  wondering  how  many  of  them  would 
ever  reach  Uganda.  We  were  told  the  way  was  all  clear 
up  to  the  Lake,  that  there  was  no  famine,  as  on  the 
northern  route,  that  the  tribes  were  all  absolutely  friendly, 
and  that  we  should  find  plenty  of  food  and  water  all  the 
way.  We  were  further  assured  that  our  porters  were  the 
finest  set  of  men  that  ever  formed  a  caravan,  and  that 
our  head-man  (a  big  Wanyamwezi  chief)  was  the  best 
head-man  that  ever  led  a  caravan.  Thus  our  hopes  were 
naturally  high  in  prospect  of  a  very  successful  journey. 
How  far  we  realised  this  anticipated  success  will  be  seen 
in  the  next  few  chapters. 


CHAPTEK  II 


THE  STAET 


Eleven  Iiours  in  an  Arab  dhow — Waiting  and  whistling  for  the  wind — 
Ashore  at  last — First  night  in  Africa — A  restless  night — Final  pre- 
parations— K'shimba — Reviewing  our  porters — Our  first  camp — Great 
oration  by  K'shimba — The  lion's  roar — Discomforts  of  camp  life — 
Famine  ahead — We  send  for  fresh  supplies — Dr.  Baxter — A  ministry 
of  love — A  pot  of  porridge — And  what  came  of  it — The  power  of  an 
Englishman — Letters  from  home— Scarcity  of  water — The  horrors  of 
human  porterage — Leopard  in  the  tree — Lost  in  the  forest. 

TjlBOM  Zanzibcar  to  the  iiiainJand  is  a  distance  of  about 


J-  thirty  miles  ;  it  was  necessary  for  us  to  cross  in  a  boat 
of  some  description  which  would  be  capable  of  accommo- 
dating ourselves,  our  boys,  and  our  bag  and  baggage.  A 
passage  w^as  therefore  arranged  for  us  on  an  Arab  dhow, 
and  on  Monday,  October  1,  1894,  we  got  on  board,  bound 
for  Saadani. 

It  was  a  terrible  experience,  and  we  shall  not  soon  for- 
get it.  To  begin  with  the  heat  was  intense,  and  even 
with  pith  helmets  and  umbrellas  with  extra  covers  the 
sun  seemed  to  have  such  power  that  it  was  as  if  we  sat  by 
a  furnace.  There  was,  of  course,  no  cabin,  and  we  had 
to  sit  on  the  little  after-deck,  all  huddled  up  together  with 
our  luggage.  The  sea  was  a  little  choppy  and  this  stirred 
up  the  filthy  water  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  the 
odour  was  like  that  from  a  stagnant  pool.  The  whole  boat 
was  in  an  abominable  condition.     Every  one  expects  to 

23 


24 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


"  rough  it  "  when  he  goes  to  Africa,  but  I  confess  we 
thought  this  a  httle  premature,  and  fervently  prayed 
that  we  might  soon  get  to  shore. 

The  journey  across  under  favourable  circumstances  takes 
about  two  hours,  but  we  were  cooped  up  on  this  horrible 
craft  for  eleven  long,  weary  hours,  for  about  half  way 
across,  the  wind  dropped  and  there  was  a  dead  calm.  We 
tried  to  look  cheerful,  but  we  certainly  did  not  feel  so. 
Flop,  flop,  flop,  went  the  sail  against  the  mast,  whilst  the 
burning  sun  blazed  down  upon  us  as  we  sat  in  this 
cramped  position,  waiting  for  the  wind.  Foolishly,  we 
had  taken  no  food  with  us,  and  about  3  p.m.  we  began 
to  feel  very  hungry. 

Our  skipper  was  an  old  Arab  of  very  quiet  demeanour  ; 
he  had  not  much  to  say  to  us,  hardly  answering  our  ques- 
tions. By  and  by  he  began  to  whistle  a  low,  plaintive  tune, 
looking  up  wistfully  at  the  loosely-hanging  sail  as  he  did 
so.  We  wondered  what  this  meant,  and  asked  him  ;  he 
replied  that  he  was  whistling  for  the  wind,  so  we  let  him 
whistle  and  fervently  hoped  that  it  might  be  of  some 
avail.  However,  it  was  not  until  about  5  p.m.  that  the 
breeze  got  up  again,  and  we  were  even  then  within 
sight  of  Zanzibar. 

The  dhow  proved  to  be  a  fast  sailer  with  the  wind, 
and  in  about  two  hours  and  a  half  we  arrived  at 
Saadani.  It  was  quite  dark,  and  no  moon,  and  the  only 
way  we  knew  that  we  had  arrived  w^as  a  terrific  bang  into 
the  sandy  bottom. 

The  next  business  was  to  get  ashore ;  we  could 
not  tell  how  far  we  were  from  dry  land  ;  a  few 
lights  were  burning  in  what  seemed  to  us  to  be  the  far 
distance.  At  last  our  skipper,  by  dint  of  continued  shout- 
ing, was  able  to  apprise  some  one  on  shore  of  our  arrival, 
and  a  native  put  out  to  us  in  a  small  boat.  When  this 
came  alongside  we  discovered  that  there  was  about  a  foot 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


25 


of  dirty  water  at  the  bottom  of  it.  However,  we  got  in, 
and  sitting  almost  up  to  our  knees  in  water,  waited  whilst 
our  goods  were  handed  into  the  boat  to  us.  There  was 
no  lantern  on  board,  and  only  a  limited  supply  of  matches, 
so  it  took  some  time  for  our  boys  to  find  our  things  and 
put  them  into  the  boat.  Add  to  the  discomfort  of  sitting 
in  pitch  darkness  with  dirty  and  offensive  water  half  way 
up  one's  legs,  the  rolling  and  tossing  about  of  the  little 
craft  in  which  we  sat — and  it  will  be  easily  understood 
that  our  tempers  were  not  of  the  sweetest. 

At  last  all  was  ready  and  we  pushed  off  from  the  dhow, 
only  to  get  stuck  fast  in  a  sandbank  a  few  yards  away. 
By  this  time  we  had  had  quite  enough,  so  we  got  our  boys 
to  carry  us  ashore,  which  was  still  some  one  hundred 
yards  away. 

Our  agent  now  met  us  and  conducted  us  to  his  house, 
which  consisted  of  one  large,  barn-like  room,  unfurnished. 
Here  we  fixed  up  our  camp  beds  all  among  the 
numerous  rats  and  lizards  which  did  not  seem  to  object  at 
all  to  our  presence  ;  indeed,  they  were  most  demonstra- 
tive in  their  reception,  mounting  up  on  to  our  beds,  and 
examining  our  boxes  like  well-trained  custom-house 
officers. 

Our  first  anxiety  was  to  procure  some  food,  and  so 
we  ordered  our  cooks  to  get  some  fowls,  light  a  fire,  and 
prepare  a  meal.  All  this  they  did  in  a  surprisingly 
short  space  of  time.  It  is  indeed  astonishing  what  a 
Zanzibari  cook  can  do ;  given  a  chicken  and  a  box  of 
matches,  he  can,  in  a  most  remarkable  manner,  produce  all 
kinds  of  luxuries,  and  often  under  the  most  trying  circum- 
stances our  cooks  got  most  tempting  meals  for  us  out  of  a 
mere  nothing. 

We  then  retired  for  the  night  and  hoped  to  get  to  sleep. 
Personally,  I  was  too  hot  and  it  w^as  not  until  past  mid- 
night that  I  finally  dozed  off.    How  long  I  had  been 


26 


IN  DJVARF  LAND. 


asleep  I  cannot  sa}^  when  I  was  suddenly  startled  by 
hearing  a  strange  sound  like  the  sniffing  of  some  animal 
just  outside  the  house.  The  door  was  open  on  account  of 
the  heat  and  naturally  I  thought  at  once  of  the  lions, 
which  we  had  been  told  abound  round  about  Saadani. 
I  got  up  very  quietly  and  put  my  eye  to  the  hole  which 
answered  for  a  window^  I  could  see  nothing,  all  was 
thick  darkness.  I  crept  back  to  bed,  but  still  the  noise 
continued.  I  was  afraid  to  go  outside,  having  no  gun  at 
hand,  so  I  just  lay  still  upon  my  bed,  listening,  listening,  I 
should  think  for  two  hours,  when,  suddenly,  I  w^as  plunged 
into  a  cold  perspiration  by  hearing  a  terrible  noise.  What 
could  it  be  ?  Not  a  lion  I  was  certain,  for  the  sound  was 
a  familiar  one.  I  sprang  up,  and  made  for  the  door,  when, 
to  my  intense  relief,  I  found  out  that  it  proceeded  from  no 
more  dangerous  an  animal  than — a  donkey  !  This  was 
the  creature  that  had  caused  me  so  many  sleepless  hours. 

The  following  day  w^e  spent  at  Saadani  making  final 
preparations  for  the  start.  We  found  plenty  to  do  ;  many 
things  to  be  arranged  with  our  agents;  "  posho  "  (food 
money)  to  be  given  to  the  porters,  and  after  that  a  final 
review  of  the  whole  caravan.  Our  head-man,  who  was  a 
Wanyamwezi  chief,  was  a  great  character ;  a  very  power- 
fully built  man,  magnificently  shaped  arms  and  legs,  with 
a  broad,  well-developed  chest.  His  eyes  were  bright  and 
piercing  to  a  degree,  aquihne  nose,  and  thick,  protruding 
lips.  His  name  was  K'shimba,  which  means  "  a  lion," 
and  in  many  ways  he  deserved  his  name.  He  was 
brave  and  fearless,  but  had  an  unfortunate  habit  of  losing 
his  temper  ;  at  such  times  it  was  most  difficult  to  get  on 
with  him.  His  power  over  his  porters  was  decidedly 
autocratic,  and  it  w^as  a  bad  look-out  for  any  poor, 
unfortunate  fellow  who  displeased  K'shimba.  However, 
his  power  seemed  to  show  itself  as  a  caravan  leader  more 
than  in  any  other  way.    He  was  one  of  Mr.  Stokes'  most 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


27 


trusted  head-men,  and  had  many  times  been  backwards 
and  forwards  between  the  lake  and  the  coast,  and  had 
never  lost  a  caravan.  He  was  delighted  with  the  idea  of 
a  review,  and  called  all  his  men  together  for  that  pur- 
pose ;  and  they  arranged  themselves  in  horseshoe  shape, 
four  or  five  deep,  K'shimba  standing  with  his  two  servants 
in  the  foreground.  It  was  an  imposing  sight  and  I  think 
a  finer  set  of  men  never  started  off  up-country. 


WANYAMWEZI  PORTEltS. 


It  is  said  that  at  one  time  these  Wanyamwezi  were 
absolute  cannibals  and  great  enemies  to  Europeans,  but 
now  their  enmity,  at  any  rate,  has  long  ceased,  and  as  to 
their  cannibalism,  that  too  is  almost  unknow^n. 

Our  first  march  was  accomplished  on  October  3rd.  We 
packed  up  all  our  bedding,  &c.,  and  got  everything  square, 
and  al)out  2  p.m.  left  Saadani. 


28 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


K'shimba  headed  the  caravan  on  this  occasion  ;  then 
the  four  Europeans,  closely  followed  by  the  four  donkeys  ; 
then  the  boys,  &c.,  and  the  five  hundred  porters  in  single 
file.  It  was  an  imposing  caravan,  and  every  one  seemed 
in  good  spirits.  The  first  tramp  was  a  short,  uninterest- 
ing one  of  about  ten  miles  ;  the  country  w^as  very  rugged 
and  sandy,  and  almost  devoid  of  green  vegetation.  All 
the  stunted  trees  were  dried  up,  and  what  was  once  green 
grass  was  now  dried  stubble.  The  heat  was  intense, 
and  the  reflected  rays  from  the  sand  added  greatly  to  it. 

Then  came  our  first  night  in  camp.  Our  tents  were 
put  side  by  side,  and  then,  all  around  us,  the  porters  made 
their  frail  huts,  or  pitched  their  little  tents,  each  man 
making  a  big  fire  in  front  of  his  dw^elling.  Around  these 
fires  they  sat  in  little  groups  of  five  or  six,  with  the  pot  or 

sufariya  "  on  the  fire,  in  which  the}^  boil  their  rice  or 
millet.  It  w^as  a  strange  sight  that  met  our  gaze  as  we 
looked  out  of  our  tent  doors  that  first  evening  in  camp  : 
between  seventy  and  eighty  fires  burning  all  around  us, 
and  the^e  little  groups  of  men,  some  talking  and  laughing, 
others  looking  very  seriously  at  the  pot  of  food,  no  doubt 
longing  to  see  it  boil.  As  we  looked  on  this  strange, 
weird  sight  a  sudden  hush  falls  upon  the  men,  and  silence 
reigns  as  K'shnnba  mounts  on  a  little  rising  in  the 
middle  of  the  camp,  and,  stretching  out  his  hands,  begins 
to  deliver  a  great  oration.  His  eloquence  is  w^onderful, 
judging  from  his  gesture  and  rapid  flow  of  language. 
We,  of  course,  could  not  understand  his  words,  as  he 
spoke  in  the  Wanyamwezi  lingo ;  but  our  cooks  told  us 
that  he  was  exhorting  his  men  to  be  faithful  to  him  as 
chief,  and  to  the  Europeans  as  "  great  white  masters  ;  " 
bidding  them  neither  to  steal  their  loads,  nor  raid  any 
of  the  villages  through  which  they  might  pass.  After  he 
had  continued  some  time  in  this  strain,  he  changed  his 
tone  a  little,  and  to  a  kind  of  chant  he  said,     Will  you 


IN  DWARF  LAND 


29 


obey  K'sbimba,"  and  then  all  the  men  rephed  in  the 
same  tone,  "  We  obey  you,  K'sbimba."  This  was 
repeated  over  and  over  again,  and  then  suddenly  K'sbimba 
stepped  down  from  his  elevated  position,  and  walked 
with  great  state  into  his  tent.  The  hum  of  voices  is 
again  heard,  and  then  one  by  one  the  tired  porters  roll 
themselves  up  in  their  blankets,  and  silence  reigns,  save 
for  the  incessant  noise  made  by  the  frogs  and  crickets. 

The  second  night  was  much  more  disturbed  than  the 
first,  for  at  about  eleven  o'clock  a  lion  began  to  roar,  and 
by  his  noise  seemed  to  be  quite  close  to  the  camp.  The 
porters,  however,  kept  up  the  fires,  and  no  harm  happened 
to  any  one,  excepting,  perhaps,  to  us  poor  Europeans, 
who,  of  course,  could  not  sleep  with  a  fion  roaring  a 
few  hundred  yards  away,  not  knowing  when  it  might 
think  it  worth  its  while  to  pay  us  a  visit  in  our  tents.  It 
is  a  very  different  thing  to  stand  in  the  Zoo  and  watch 
these  magnificent  creatures  through  iron  bars,  from  lying 
shaking  in  a  small  canvas  tent,  and  nothing  stronger 
than  this  between  it  and  yourself.  I  know  this  first 
time  I  heard  the  lion  roaring,  apparently  very  near  to 
the  tent,  I  sat  on  my  bed  nearly  the  whole  night,  with 
a  loaded  rifle  across  my  knee.* 

We  soon  began  to  experience  some  of  the  discomforts 
of  camp  life.  The  insects,  for  instance,  gave  great  shocks 
to  our  systems  from  tnne  to  time.  Occasionally,  during 
peaceful  slumber,  one  would  suddenly  be  aroused  by  some 
strange  creature  leisurely  making  its  way  across  one's  face, 
and  during  its  progress,  causing  a  sensation  as  of  in- 

*  "  Familiarity  breeds  contempt,"  and  I  well  remember  the  last  time  I 
heard  a  leopard— an  equally  dangerous  beast — trying  to  get  in  at  the 
window  of  my  little  house  in  Toro.  I  was  very  tired,  but  it  woke  me  up, 
and  I  was  annoyed  at  being  thus  disturbed,  so  I  picked  up  my  heavy  boot 
which  was  by  my  bedside,  and  threw  it  at  the  window,  rolled  over,  and 
went  to  sleep  again.  Of  course  the  creature  would  know  from  this  that 
I  was  awake,  and  not  daring  to  enter  the  house  when  observed,  simply 
made  off  about  its  business. 


30 


FN  DWARF  LAND. 


numerable  pins  being  driven  into  the  skin  ;  it  finally  turns 
out  to  be  a  centipede.  These  abound  everywhere  in  Africa. 

centipede  is  an  insect  which  varies  from  one  to  eight 
inches  in  length,  and  is  very  much  like  a  giant  caterpillar, 
only  that  its  body  is  covered  with  a  hard  scaly  skin,  and 
it  has  any  number  of  legs,  as  its  name  implies.  These 
horrible  things  are  continually  in  our  tents,  and  seem 
never  so  well  satisfied  as  when  they  can  settle  themselves 
just  by  one's  nose  while  in  bed.  But  centipedes  are 
nothing  to  the  red,  biting  ants,  and  every  traveller  in 
Africa  will  have  an  encounter  with  these  little  pests 
sooner  or  later.  During  one  of  our  long  tiring  marches, 
we  happened  to  sit  down  by  the  roadside,  without 
particularly  noticing  wdiere ;  but  in  an  instant  we  were 
literally  smothered  with  these  "  siafu,"  as  they  are 
described  by  the  Swahili.  Shake  yourself  as  you  will, 
they  wall  not  drop  off,  and  one  has  to  literally  pull  them 
off,  and  even  then  they  hold  on  w4th  such  tenacity  that 
you  sever  the  head  from  the  body.  Fortunately  the  bite 
is  not  poisonous,  so  that  no  irritation  remains  w^hen  the 
insect  is  removed.  Cockroaches  large  and  cockroaches 
small  are  everyichere  ;  in  all  your  boxes,  boots,  and  jam- 
pots, in  blankets,  pockets,  writing-cases,  everywhere  are 
they  to  be  found.  A  second-class  cabin  on  a  British 
India  boat  is  a  perfect  paradise  in  the  matter  of  cock- 
roaches. Mosquitoes  I  need  hardly  mention  ;  of  course 
they  are  a  nuisance,  and  seem  to  be  met  with  particularly 
in  low-lying  marshy  districts.  Fleas  w^e  consider  very 
clean  as  compared  with  those  slower  and  far  more  dis- 
gusting creatures,  lice;  but  both  are  met  with  everywhere, 
and  abound.  Snakes,  too,  caused  us  sometimes  a  little 
uneasiness.  Once  under  my  bed  I  discovered  one  of  these 
reptiles  quietly  sleeping,  and  often  as  we  marched  we  came 
across  them.  These  are  some  of  the  discomforts  that  the 
traveller  meets  wath  in  Africa ;  he  has  to  get  used  to  them 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


31 


sooner  or  later,  and  the  sooner  the  better,  or  they  will  be 
a  constant  source  of  trouble  to  him. 

Other  things  are  equally  trying  during  the  first  few 
weeks  of  camp  life.  To  have  your  boy  come  into  your 
tent  at  about  four  o'clock  a.m.  when  all  is  dark,  and  shout 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  B'wana  "  (master),  and  then  to 
have  to  pack  everything  into  boxes  and  bags  and  tramp 
off  to  the  next  camp,  is  trying,  to  say  the  least.  Then  if 
you  happen  to  see  your  boy,  as  I  once  did,  cleaning 
your  plate  by  licking  his  hand  and  smearing  it  over. 


CAMP  LIFE. 


and  finally  drying  it  with  his  dirty  loin  cloth ;  or,  if  you 
see  your  cook  patting  down  the  rice  pudding  into  a  dish 
with  his  hands,  or  basting  your  chicken  with  the  same 
tools,  or  washing  out  the  saucepan  with  the  water  in  which 
one  has  bathed  (no  doubt  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of 
that  fluid),  I  say  that  these  are  things  that  are  constantly 
occurring,  and  every  day  some  new  kind  of  horror  presents 
itself,  and  the  novelty  of  the  "  picnic"  soon  wears  off. 

After  we  had  proceeded  about  a  week's  journey  on  our 
way  to  the  lake,  a  very  serious  difficulty  presented  itself, 


32 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


namely,  famine.  We  had  been  told  that  we  should  not 
be  troubled  with  this,  the  greatest  of  all  horrors,  and 
when  we  therefore  found  that  it  was  actually  raging  in 
the  district  through  which  w^e  now  had  to  pass,  we  were 
very  much  disturbed  in  mind. 

A  huge  caravan  like  ours  required  much  food  to  be 
provided,  so  that  all  might  have  enough,  and  although  we 
were  only  really  responsible  for  the  men  who  carried  our 
own  loads,  yet  the  claims  of  a  common  humanity  made 
it  our  duty  to  do  what  we  could  for  the  others. 
We  accordingly  sent  back  to  Saadani  for  fresh  supplies 
of  rice  to  be  despatched  without  delay  by  special  porters, 
and  this  was  done  ;  but  how^  was  it  possible  for  us  to  keep 
five  hundred  men  from  starving  !  with  nothing  but  the 
slender  purse  of  a  missionary  from  which  to  draw. 

With  this  prospect  before  us,  K'shiml)a  arranged  for 
another  great  oration  to  his  men,  and  this  time  the  burden 
of  his  cry  was  :  "Although  famine  is  raging  before  us, 
let  us  not  l)lame  any  man,  neither  let  us  steal  the  scanty 
victuals  from  the  villages  close  at  hand;  let  us  go  bravely 
forward,  and,  if  you  steal,  both  I  and  the  Europeans  will 
leave  you.  Stealing  is  wrong,"  he  said,  "  and  w^e  must 
not  do  it."    To  this  they  all  agreed,  as  usual,  and  replied, 

We  obey  you,  K'shimba." 

Just  about  this  time  we  had  the  very  great  pleasure  of 
welcoming  amongst  us  the  veteran  missionary,  Dr.  Baxter, 
also  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society. 

We  had  camped  for  the  day,  being  Sunday,  to  have  a 
real  day  of  rest,  when,  towards  the  close  of  the  day,  to 
our  great  satisfaction,  the  Doctor  came  strolling  into 
camp.  He  accompanied  us  for  the  next  few  days,  and 
right  glad  we  were  to  have  the  benefit  of  his  well-nigh 
twenty  years'  experience  in  Africa.  Being  a  medical 
man  he  was  able  to  help  several  of  our  poor  porters  who 
already  were  suffering  from  the  effects  of  unsuitable  food. 


AV  DJVARF  LAND. 


33 


and  the  whole  time  he  was  with  ns,  his  brioht  Christian 
character  made  itself  felt.  Our  porters  were  delighted  to 
have  him  amongst  the  party,  as  some  of  them  knew  him, 
and  all  very  soon  learned  to  love  him  for  his  true,  gentle, 
and  loving  spirit.  He,  at  any  rate,  does  not  think  that  a 
black  man  is  so  far  beneath  him  that  he  merits  not  the 
ordinary  kindness  that  is  show^n  to  the  white  man,bnt  by 
his  unselfish  ministrations  to  those  poor  black  fellows,  he 
exhibited  the  spirit  of  the  Master  whom  he  serves.  The 
idea  is  prevalent  amongst  many  who  visit  Africa  that  the 
African  is  little  better  than  a  dog,  and  should  never  be 
treated  in  any  other  way  than  that  in  which  a  beast  is 
treated.  Such  men  are  not  worthy  to  be  associated  with 
humanity  themselves ;  for  although  the  black  man  is 
ignorant  and  degraded  it  is  not  his  fault,  and  perhaps  if 
Christian  England  had  done  her  duty  to  Africa,  there 
would  not  be  the  darkness  that  there  is. 

Dr.  Baxter,  by  his  ministry  of  love,  soon  won  the 
affection  of  the  porters,  when  in  the  evening  he  would 
sit  with  them,  read  to  them,  and  talk  to  them  about  the 
God  and  Father  of  us  all :  Who,  loving  us,  sent  His  Son 
to  redeem  us.  One  could  see  how  the  acts  of  kindness 
had  attracted  them  to  listen  to  the  words  of  love. 

But  even  Wanyamwezi  porters  are  human,  and  when 
suffering  from  the  stress  of  hunger  one  can  almost  forgive 
them  anything.  One  of  our  porters  suffering  in  this  way 
was  passing  through  a  cultivated  field  when  he  espied  in  a 
corner  of  the  field  a  pot  of  porridge  all  ready  cooked,  and 
no  doubt  very  savoury.  Not  seeing  any  one  about,  and 
being  sorely  tempted,  he  grasped  the  prize  and  was 
making  good  his  escape,  when  almost  at  the  same  moment 
some  one  grasped  him,  and  this  proved  to  be  the  owner 
of  the  mess.  The  injured  party  dragged  the  captive 
before  our  head-man,  but  K'shimba,  like  Gallio  of  old, 
"  cared  for  none  of   these  things,"  and  ordered  both 

4 


34 


IN-  DWARF  LAXD. 


parties  out  of  his  presence,  laughing  at  the  man  for 
leaving  his  porridge  about,  and  sneering  at  the  other  for 
not  being  sharp  enough  to  evade  capture.  The  plaintiff 
then  brought  the  case  to  us  Europeans,  apparently  in  a 
towering  rage  w^ith  K'shimba,  and  bent  upon  making  a 
row.  It  would  have  been  a  most  difficult  matter  for  us 
to  settle  had  it  not  been  for  Dr.  Baxter.  He  called 
K'shimba,  and  had  the  accused  brought  up.  It  was 
K'shimba's  turn  now  to  lose  his  temper,  and  when  he 
came  to  us  he  was  in  a  great  passion,  and  forthwith 
abused  the  accuser  and  his  people  (who  had  by  this  time 
gathered  round).  He  shouted  out  to  them  that  he  was 
K'shimba  (the  lion),  and  that  they  had  better  take  care 
how  they  played  w^ith  him,  and  that  if  they  wished,  he 
and  his  men  would  go  down  into  the  valley  and  meet 
them  there  and  have  a  game  with  guns.  At  this  Dr. 
Baxter  angrily  stopped  him,  and  showed  in  a  moment 
what  a  power  an  Englishman  has  in  Africa,  for  immedi- 
ately K'shimba  was  cowed,  and  although  a  big,  powerful 
chief  he  came  and  sat  at  our  feet  as  quiet  as  a  lamb,  and 
the  whole  matter  was  settled  by  giving  the  offended  party 
a  little  present  and  sending  him  away.  We  heard  no 
more.  If,  however,  we  had  not  been  present  in  camp 
at  the  time  that  this  case  was  brought  up,  there  would 
most  certainly  have  been  serious  trouble,  probably  a 
fight  between  the  porters  and  the  villagers,  which  would 
have  brought  the  whole  country  side  down  upon  us. 

Thus  it  will  be  easily  understood  that  a  European  going 
up-country  is  very  much  at  the  mercy  of  his  porters,  and 
a  constant  watch  has  to  be  kept  over  them. 

On  October  14th  there  was  great  excitement  caused  by 
the  arrival  in  our  camp  of  a  party  of  mail  men,  bringing 
to  us  letters  from  home.  Although  we  had  been  about 
twelve  days  on  the  journey  from  the  coast  these  men  had 
accomplished  it  in  five  days.    They  are  chosen  for  their 


1 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


37 


strength  and  endurance,  and  some  of  them  will  walk 
thirty-five  and  forty  miles  a  day,  carrying  their  mail  bags 
as  well  as  their  sleeping  mats  and  food. 

I  do  not  wish  to  enlarge  here  upon  the  pleasure  of 
receiving  letters  and  papers  from  home,  but  I  must  say 
Solomon  of  old  was  not  far  wrong  when  he  said,  "As  cold 
waters  to  a  thirsty  soul,  so  is  good  news  from  a  far 
country."  The  old  country  never  loses  its  charm,  no 
matter  how  many  and  long  are  the  years  that  we  spend  away 
from  it,  we  always  look  with  eager  eyes  for  any  news  con- 


llAST  AFUICAN  MAIL  CARRIEKS. 

cerning  it.  I  know  of  nothing  so  trying  in  Africa  as  to  be 
obliged  to  be  content  for  months  together  with  nothing  but 
a  few^  old  newspapers  to  read  ;  even  these  become  precious, 
and  many  a  time  I  have  read  over  and  over  again  leading- 
articles  and  scraps  of  news  long  out  of  date,  and  have 
even  gone  so  far  as  to  read  through  the  advertisements. 

For  the  first  week  on  the  journey,  the  only  water  we 
could  get  was  from  holes  dug  in  the  clay,  and  in  which 
the  rain  had  collected  ;  it  was  therefore  very  thick  with 
mud  and  sometimes  very  offensive,  with  a  slight  saline 


38 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


taste.    We  had  to  both  boil  and  filter  it,  and  even  then 
we  could  not  get  rid  of  the  unpleasant  flavour. 

The  porters  also  caused  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with 
reference  to  the  v/ater.  Immediately  upon  reaching  camp 
some  of  them  w^ould  run  down  to  the  water-holes  and 
stir  up  all  the  mud  in  their  anxiety  to  get  a  good  drink ; 
some  would  even  stand  in  the  water  itself  and  drink,  and 
often  we  would  find  them  washing  their  bodies  quite  close 
to  the  water-holes.  It  was  most  trying,  after  having 
given  strict  orders  to  have  the  water  guarded,  to  find  . 
the  guards  themselves  doing  such  things  as  these. 
However  the  heat  w^as  so  great,  and  we  ourselves  were 
so  terribly  thirsty  with  the  mere  exertion  of  walking,  that 
we  could  almost  forgive  the  clumsy  eagerness  of  these 
poor  porters  to  get  to  the  water  after  four  or  five  hours' 
march  under  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun,  with  a  60  lb. 
weight  to  carry. 

Would  to  God  this  fearful  practice  of  human  porterage 
were  not  necessary  ;  it  is  barbarous  work,  and  sometimes 
when  I  saw  a  poor  thin  fellow,  suffering  the  awful  pangs 
of  hunger,  and  perhaps  with  a  terrible  ulcer  on  each  leg, 
with  his  heavy  load  on  his  poor  blistered  shoulder,  I 
almost  wished  I  had  no  loads  at  all ;  and  when  I  saw  as 
alas  !  I  did  sometimes,  one  of  these  poor  fellow  creatures 
fall  down  from  sheer  exhaustion,  and  see  A.B.L.  printed 
on  the  box  he  was  carrying,  it  made  my  heart  bleed  with 
pity  and  I  felt  half  guilty.  But  we  could  do  nothing ;  the 
loads  must  go,  and  there  w^as  no  other  way  than  this.  Of 
course  a  large  number  of  the  men  seemed  to  think 
nothing  of  their  loads  and  were  perfectly  happy  with 
them,  fine,  strong  fellows,  apparently  hardly  feeling  the 
burden  at  all. 

During  the  first  week  there  was  little  or  no  shooting  to 
be  had  ;  very  occasionally  we  saw  species  of  antelope  in 
the  distance,  but  they  were  always  too  wild  for  us  to 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


39 


approach  within  range;  partridges,  quails,  pigeons,  &c., 
were  sometimes  seen.  As  I  have  said,  Hons  were  in  the 
district,  but  at  present  we  were  far  too  new  at  the  hunt  to 
attempt  such  dangerous  game. 

At  this  time  I  had  rather  a  disagreeable  experience.  I 
had  gone  off  alone  with  only  my  shot  gun,  with  No.  6  shot 
for  pigeons,  and  had  got  into  a  very  wild  sort  of  jungle. 


EAST  AFllICAN  IIU'J',   WITH  STOCKADE  AKD 
DEVIL  HUT. 


It  was  well  on  towards  evening,  and  so  after  wandering 
about  for  some  time  and  seeing  nothing,  I  began  to  retrace 
my  steps.  This,  I  soon  found  out,  was  not  an  easy 
matter,  and  after  pushing  first  in  one  direction  and  then 
in  another,  I  began  to  give  up  hope  of  getting  back  to 
camp  that  night.  It  was  just  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
before  sunset,  forcing  my  way  along  a  narrow  track  which 


40 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


I  believed  would  eventually  take  me  to  the  main  road, 
when,  suddenly  a  huge  leopard  sprang  from  a  tree  just  in 
front  of  me.  I  levelled  my  gun,  but  feared  to  pull  the 
trigger,  thinking  that  the  result  of  putting  a  hundred  or 
so  No.  6  shot  into  him  would  only  aggravate  the  beast  ; 
so,  with  my  gun  to  my  shoulder,  and  my  eye  fixed  upon 
the  leopard,  which  had  alighted  on  the  ground  only  about 
ten  yards  in  front  of  me,  I  gradually  drew  back.  The 
creature  just  crouched  upon  the  ground  like  a  huge  cat 
lashing  its  tail  backwards  and  forwards,  snarling  horribly, 
showing  all  its  fangs.  And  thus  I  left  it.  It  now  began 
to  get  dark,  and  I  w^as  much  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of 
being  kept  out  all  night  in  so  wxird  and  dangerous  a 
quarter,  therefore  I  commenced  to  blow  with  all  my  might 
the  whistle  which  I  ahvays  carried  in  my  belt.  I  don't 
know  why  I  did  not  think  of  it  before.  After  blowing 
away  for  some  time  I  heard  a  call  and  making  off  in  that 
direction  suddenly  found  myself  entering  a  village.  The 
natives,  when  they  saw  me,  fled  in  all  directions,  and  I 
could  not  get  near  enough  to  make  my  request  for  help 
known  to  them.  I  w^andered  about  in  the  village  for  a 
little  w^iile  and  then  blew  my  whistle  again ;  this  time 
with  better  success,  for  from  out  of  the  thicket  emerged 
my  cook,  who,  missing  me  in  camp  and  expecting  that  I 
had  got  lost,  had  set  off'  to  find  me,  and  hearing  the 
whistle  was  led  to  me  by  that.  I  found  that  we  w^ere 
a  long  distance  from  camp,  and  I  did  not  arrive  until 
quite  dark.  Very  thankful  I  was  at  last  to  get  into  my 
little  canvas  tent,  and  I  had  learned  a  lesson,  w^hich 
has  stood  me  in  good  stead  during  all  my  travels  in  Africa 
— viz.,  never  to  wander  off*  alone  in  a  country  that  you  do 
not  know,  particularly  in  a  forest-covered  district. 


< 


CHAPTER  III 


GLIMPSES    OF    CAMP  LIFE 


Under  the  tamarind  tree — Refreshment  for  the  cows— Hope  deferred  at 
Mbuzini  river — The  Wami — First  real  wash  in  Africa  —Famine 
stares  us  in  the  face — Fever — Crossing  river  on  African  bridge — Tent 
left  behind — The  cook's  story — Overtaken  by  Bishop  Tucker —The 
wild  ass — The  Bishop  to  the  front — Long  solitary  march — Kindly 
reception — Lions  in  the  path— Mamboya — Hospitality  in  Central 
Africa^ — The  "  Mission  boy  "  again — Practical  Christianity — We  split 
our  caravan — The  porters  rebel — How  we  squashed  the  rebels — Peace 
making — Mpwapwa — Kisokwe — Famine  and  its  horrors. 


N  the  lltli  of  October,  we  pitched  our  camp  at  a  place 


v7  called  Pongwi,  the  chief  of  which  was  called  Kolwa, 
a  regular  old  scoundrel,  who  did  his  very  best  to  fleece  us. 
The  usual  custom  of  a  chief  upon  receiving  a  visitor  into 
his  country,  is  to  bring  to  him  some  kind  of  present,  for 
which  he  expects  the  traveller  to  give  a  present  in  return 
equal  in  value.  This  old  gentleman  Kolwa,  evidently  saw 
that  we  had  not  travelled  in  Africa  before,  and  therefore 
he  wanted  to  make  the  best  of  his  opportunities.  He  first 
brought  us  a  sheep  with  a  fat  tail,  and  for  this  we  gave 
him  a  suitable  present,  although  we  could  have  done  well 
enough  without  the  sheep.  He  went  away,  to  return 
with  a  few  eggs  ;  for  these  he  again  expected  a  return 
present,  which  he  did  not  get,  however.  He  then  asked 
for  some  soap  and  went  first  to  one  European  and  then 
to  another,  bothering  each  for  a  piece  of  soap.  He  was 
very  dirty,  and  needed  it  badly,  so,  as  I  had  with  me  some 


41 


42 


IN  DWARF  LAND, 


good  strong  carbolic  dog  soap,  I  gave  him  a  piece  and 
with  this  he  seemed  dehghted,  especially  with  the  scent. 
After  this  he  w^ent  away  chuckling,  and  showing  his 
followers  what  he  had  received,  and  I  think  he  was 
thoroughly  satisfied. 

With  a  temperature  of  96°  in  the  shade,  w^e  pitched  our 
camp  under  a  tamarind  tree,  and  right  glad  we  were  to 
gather  the  ripe  beans  which  hung  from  the  branches. 
Their  acid  flavour  seemed  in  some  way  to  allay  the  pangs 
of  thirst  wdiich  could  not  be  satisfied  with  the  horrible 
salty  water,  which  w^as  the  only  kind  procurable  in  this 
place  (Pongwi).  A  very  good  drink  can  be  made  from  the 
tamarind  bean,  which  is  broken  up,  and  boiling  water 
poured  over  it  with  sugar  to  taste,  and  then  left  to  cool. 
So  scarce  was  the  water  that  we  had  hardly  enough  to 
wash  in,  and  our  cows  (we  had  tw^o  with  us)  had  to  be 
content  with  the  water  that  we  had  used  for  our 
wash,  which,  how^ever,  they  swallowed  with  the  greatest 
satisfaction. 

We  were  glad  enough  to  leave  this  droughty  place 
early  the  following  morning.  Our  guide  told  us  that 
about  four  hours'  journey  further  on  we  should  come  to 
the  beautiful  river  called  the  Mbuzini ;  our  porters  w^ere 
therefore  most  anxious  that  we  should  push  on  as  fast  as 
possible,  for  already  the  terrible  thirst  was  beginning  to 
tell  upon  them.  Occasionally  we  would  come  upon  some 
of  them  trying  hard  to  extract  a  little  moisture  from  some 
root ;  others  would  dig  holes  in  the  hollows,  hoping  to 
find  the  precious  fluid  they  so  much  needed. 

We  left  camp  at  Pongwi  before  it  was  light  and  walked 
for  five  hours  with  scarcely  a  stop,  and  then,  when  we 
were  beginning  to  feel  the  heat  of  the  day  most  oppressive, 
and  were  simply  dried  up  for  want  of  water,  the  guide 
suddenly  pointed  out  to  us  in  the  distance  a  long  stretch 
of  trees,  and  these  he  said  were  growing  on  the  banks  of 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


43 


the  Mbuzini  river.  We  pushed  forward  with  greater 
energy  than  ever  with  the  prospect  of  at  last  having 
plenty  of  water,  for  by  this  time  we  were  almost 
suffocated  by  the  thirst  and  ready  to  give  in. 

Presently  w^e  entered  the  wooded  country  and  almost 
ran  to  the  banks  of  the  river.  But  no  sound  of  rushing 
waters  greeted  our  ears,  not  even  the  ripple  of  a  tiny 


CAMP  AT  MBUZIXI. 


stream.  Oh,  bitter  disappointment  !  the  river  had  dried 
up,  and  only  a  few  muddy  puddles  told  us  of  its  previous 
existence.  Our  hearts  sank  within  us.  With  swollen 
lips  and  parched  tongues,  we  stooped  down  to  drink,  and 
never  did  water  seem  so  sweet  to  us,  as  did  that  from  the 
muddy  pools  of  the  Mbuzini  river  bed. 

Our  guide,  who  was  quite  as  disappointed  as  we  were — 


44 


/X  DJVARF  LAND. 


for  lie  said  that  only  a  month  or  so  before  he  had  passed 
that  way,  and  found  the  river  full — went  off  up  the  river 
bed  for  some  long  distance,  and  by  indefatigable  effort, 
at  last  found  a  tiny  spring  of  good  water,  and  with  care, 
this  was  sufficient  for  the  whole  caravan. 

To  give  some  httle  idea  of  the  oppressiveness  of  the 
heat  that  day,  I  may  mention  that  even  a  little  terrier  dog 
that  was  in  the  party,  was  so  much  fatigued  by  the  heat, 
that  it  lay  down  under  every  bush  and  tree  we  passed, 
and  when  we  went  on,  it  howled  most  piteously,  and  then 
ran  on  to  the  next.  A  large  mastiff,  which  was  also  with 
us,  literally  fainted  after  reaching  camp.  It  can  be 
imagined,  therefore,  how  much  we  Europeans  suffered  if 
these  creatures  were  affected  by  it  in  the  way  I  have 
described.  Some  of  our  porters  never  reached  camp,  and 
one  of  our  tents  was  left  behind. 

The  following  day,  our  hopes,  which  Avere  deferred  at 
the  Mbuzini  river,  were  abundantly  realised  at  the  Wami, 
a  broad  rushing  river,  plenty  of  water.  It  was  quite  im- 
possible, after  being  so  long  witli  such  a  limited  supply,  to 
keep  out  of  it  and  so  we  had  a  most  delightful  bath.  We 
were  warned  against  crocodiles  so  had  to  choose  a  very 
shallow  part,  but  to  have  water  all  over  one's  body,  after 
hardly  having  sufticient  to  moisten  one's  tongue  was  in- 
describably delightful.  Having  finished  our  first  real  wash 
in  Africa,  we  looked  out  all  our  soiled  clothes  and  sent  our 
boys  to  the  river  to  wash  them,  and  in  the  afternoon  the 
neighbourhood  of  our  tents  looked  like  the  drying  ground 
of  a  large  laundry. 

Again  we  liad  the  awful  fact  brought  before  us  of  the 
scarcity  of  food.  K'shimba  came  to  us  and  said  that  a 
number  of  our  porters  had  deserted  on  account  of  the 
shortness  of  food,  leaving  their  loads  by  the  roadside,  and 
that  he  anticipated  others  doing  the  same.  The  loads 
were  brought  on  by  the  head-men,  but  it  was  clear  that  if 


1 


IN  DWARF  LAXn. 


47 


famine  continued  and  many  more  men  deserted,  it  would 
be  impossible  to  proceed.  Our  own  extra  loads  of  food 
were  gradually  becoming  less,  as  each  morning  we  gave 
out  a  cup  full  of  rice  to  the  needy  ones.  But  this  could 
not  go  on  for  any  length  of  time. 

We  next  reached  Matungu,  but  still  no  food  to  be 
found.  The  natives  were  unw^illing  to  sell  what  little 
they  had,  and  we  greatly  feared  lest  our  porters,  driven  to 
desperation,  would  try  to  raid  the  villagers. 

To  make  matters  worse  many  of  the  men  were  getting 


FAMINE -STRICKEN  DISTRICT. 


ill  from  other  causes ;  some  were  beginning  to  display 
huge  ulcers,  sore  shoulders  and  backs,  caused  by  carrying 
the  loads  ;  dysentery,  and  even  small-pox. 

At  Matungu  we  were  told  that  we  should  find  ante- 
lope, and  thus  w^e  hoped  to  be  able  to  provide  some 
food  for  the  porters.  I  started  off  when  I  got  into 
camp,  and  I  soon  saw  some  antelope  in  the  distance,  but 
the  heat  was  so  intense  that  I  was  far  too  exhausted  to 
stalk  them,  and  I  turned  homeward.  Before  I  could 
reach  camp,  I  knew  that  fever  had  got  hold  of  me. 


48 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


Fortunatoly  the  good  Doctor  was  still  with  us  and  he 
did  everything  possible  for  me.  All  night  the  fever  was 
raging  and  the  patient  Doctor  sat  by  my  bedside  tending 
me  with  ahnost  motherly  care.  The  caravan  left  next 
morning  but  the  Doctor  and  Mr.  Pike  remained  till 
evening  with  me,  when  I  was  able  to  proceed  on  my 
donkey.  We  caught  up  the  others  at  11  p.m.,  had  a 
few  hours'  rest,  and  then  w^e  all  continued  our  journey  as 
still  there  was  a  great  scarcity  of  food,  and  famine  with 
all  its  horrors  seemed  to  stare  us  in  the  face. 

Ngulu  was  reached  on  October  18th,  and  again  we 
pitched  our  camp,  near  the  beautiful  river  Wami.  The 
water  was  very  pure,  and  it  was  quite  delightful  to  have 
plenty,  after  the  muddy  fluid  we  had  been  obliged  to 
drink. 

Our  tents  were  pitched  at  the  foot  of  a  low  range  of 
mountains,  the  whole  surrounding  country  being  covered 
with  scrub  and  sycamore.  The  natives  were  very  friendly 
and  wxre  able  to  sell  us  a  little  food.  Maize  grew  in 
great  abundance,  also  a  kind  of  pumpkin  or  vegetable 
marrow,  which  is  very  palatable.  We  remained  a  few 
days,  to  allow  our  porters  to  do  their  best  to  procure  what 
little  food  was  available,  and  then  we  proceeded. 

We  had  to  cross  the  Wami  river ;  the  porters  waded 
through  the  water  which  at  its  deepest  was  not  more 
than  four  feet,  while  we  Europeans  crossed  by  a  native 
bridge,  a  very  rickety  affair,  made  by  the  natives  of  the 
districts.  .  It  consisted  of  a  few  forked  stakes  driven  into 
the  ground  at  the  bank,  and  corresponding  stakes  in  mid- 
stream and  on  the  opposite  bank ;  then  from  stake  to  stake 
there  were  stretched  strong  timbers,  and  upon  these  were 
laid  a  quantity  of  thinner  branches.  We  had  to  cross 
very  carefully  as  nothing  was  secure,  and  some  of  the 
stakes  had  been  washed  away  by  the  current.  Soon  after 
leaving  the  bridge  we  missed  the  way,  but  were  not  sorry 


IN  DWARF  LAXD. 


49 


as  the  path  we  took  'led  through  some  very  pretty  places. 
At  times  pahiis  and  bananas,  and  other  large-leaved 
plants  completely  over-arched  us,  and  bigger  trees  were 
growing  over  our  head.  Wild  pepper  shrubs  also,  in  great 
abundance;  the  natives  seem  to  use  these  in  some  way  as 
food.  Later  on  we  passed  through  plantations  of  maize 
and  what  is  called  "  mtama,"  a  kind  of  millet  seed,  which 
makes  a  very  good  porridge,  and  we  frequently  used  it 
in  this  way.  It  grow^s  in  a  kind  of  reed  some  12  feet 
to  14  feet  high,  and  is  very  prolific,  but  is  always  the 
first  thing  attacked  by  locusts,  and  in  this  part  these 
insects  had  been  very  busy.  They  go  about  in  huge 
clouds  and  sometimes  quite  block  the  sunlight,  and  wdien 
they  settle,  all  green  things  disappear.  Guinea  fowl 
were  plentiful,  and  seemed  very  tame.  Sometimes  we 
w^ould  walk  quite  close  up  to  them  before  they  took  flight, 
and  constantly  we  were  able  to  supply  the  larder  with 
these  most  acceptable  birds. 

Although  we  missed  the  way  on  this  particular  occasion, 
yet  we  got  into  camp  ahead  of  everybody  else.  The 
porters  were  very  tired,  having  had  a  long,  roundabout 
march  in  the  heat.  One  of  the  tents,  to  our  great  con- 
sternation was  missing ;  we  therefore  sent  back  the  cooks 
at  once  to  look  for  the  porter  who  carried  it  and  to  bring 
it  nito  camp.  However,  night  came  on  before  the  tent 
arrived  and  we  were  obliged  to  make  one  tent  do  for  two. 
In  the  very  early  morning  the  cooks  came  back  bringing 
with  them  the  porter  and  the  tent.  This  is  the  cook's 
story  : — They  got  right  back  to  our  former  camp,  and 
there  they  found'  the  tent  all  rolled  up,  but  no  porter  to 
carry  it.  They  waited  until  nine  o'clock,  when  tlie  run- 
away turned  up.  The  rest  must  be  told  in  the  cook's  own 
language.  "  At  nine  o'clock  we  see  him  come,  we  say, 
'  Come  on  ';  he  say,  '  I  must  stop  and  sleep.'  We  then  sit 
down  and  think  till  ten,  then  we  get  up  and  beat  him 

5 


/X  DWARF  LAND. 


with  a  stick,  then  he  come."  They  were  waUving  all 
night,  reaching  us  about  5  a.m.,  and  started  off  with  us 
at  5.30,  getting  into  camp  again  at  11  a.m.  When  I 
asked  the  cook  how  he  was  after  his  long  walk  he  said, 

My  feet  very  large,  master  ;  I  rest  here,"  and  well  they 
deserved  their  rest. 

One  of  our  party  now  fell  sick,  Mr.  Blackledge,  fever 
being,  of  course,  the  complaint.  We  therefore  rested  a 
few  days  in  a  most  lovely  camping  o-round  among  the 


USAGAEA  WOMEX  AT  HOME. 


Mpamwani  Hills,  with  a  clear  rushmg  stream  quite  close 
to  us. 

During  this  time  of  rest  we  had  the  great  pleasure  of 
welcoming  into  our  midst  good  Bishop  Tucker.  He  was 
on  his  way  to  Mamboya,  and  having  only  a  small  caravan 
he  was  able  to  push  along  quickly  although  he  left  the 
coast  nearly  a  week  after  we  had  done  so.  Our  party 
now  numbered  six  Europeans,  and  about  five  hundred  and 
twenty  porters. 

About  mid-day,  after  the  Bishop's  arrival,  a  wild  ass  got 
into  camp  and  commenced  fighting  with  our  donkeys,  and 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


51 


made  such  a  noise  and  disturbance  that  we  called  up  the 
whole  camp  to  catch  it.  It  was  a  very  shapely  little 
animal  and  had  most  extraordinary  powers  of  dodging 
those  who  tried  to  secure  it,  of  kicking  and  braying  also. 
With  the  combined  energies  of  five  Europeans  and  a 
whole  host  of  Wanyamwezi  porters  we  felt  sure  it  would 
be  caught.  The  Bishop  was  very  much  to  the  front  in 
this  hunt,  and  made  several  good  attempts  to  lasso  the 
little  creature,  but  still  it  evaded  us.  At  last,  however, 
w^hile  the  ass  stood  for  a  rest  at  a  good  distance  from  its 
hunters,  one  of  the  men  leapt  from  the  grass  where  he  was 
completely  hidden,  almost  under  its  nose,  and  swinging 
his  arms  right  round  its  neck,  clung  on,  in  spite  of  all  its 
plunging.  We  then  gathered  round,  and  soon  were  able 
to  secure  the  now  frightened  ass.  I  found  to  my  great 
satisfaction  that  it  was  my  own  boy  who  had  thus  captured 
the  animal.  He  told  me  that  he  was  a  great  hunter,  and 
seemed  very  pleased  to  display  his  power  of  concealing 
himself,  which  I  admit  was  most  extraordinary  (especially 
was  this  the  case  if  I  happened  to  want  anything  in  a 
hurry).  We  tied  up  the  wild  ass  to  a  tree  and  left  it 
with  the  natives,  who  were  most  delighted  to  have  it. 

From  this  camp  to  the  next  was  a  distance  of  about 
eighteen  miles.  There  was  supposed  to  be  a  large  river  at 
the  camp,  but  when  we  got  there  we  found  only  a  dry 
river  bed,  all  covered  with  deep  cracks  ;  apparently  no 
water  had  been  there  for  months.  We  searched  about 
and  found  some  pools  of  muddy  water,  and  by  the  side  of 
these  we  camped.  It  was  fairly  good  when  boiled  and 
filtered,  and  only  tasted  a  little  like  dish-water,  but  we 
were  about  used  to  that,  so  thought  nothing  of  it. 

At  3  a.m.  next  morning  we  were  off  again,  a  long, 
solitary  march  through  the  most  wild  country  we  had 
yet  passed. 

The  start  was  a  most  difficult  one.    Our  way  led  right 


52 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


over  a  high  range  of  hills,  and  the  path  was  narrow  and 
very  stony,  and  terribly  steep  in  places.  It  w^as  some- 
times literally  a  climb  in  the  dark,  for  although  there  was 
a  moon  nearly  at  its  full,  its  light  was  almost  entirely  lost 
to  us  by  the  thick  trees  overhanging  our  path.  My  boy 
and  I  went  on  ahead  to  secure  a  good  camp,  and  for  six 
hours  we  marched  with  only  one  stop  of  five  minutes. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  village  we  were  making  for, 
Magubika,  the  chief  came  out  to  greet  me.  He  was  a 
fine-looking  young  fellow,  rather  above  middle  height, 
well-proportioned,  and  with  a  searching  eye.  He  shook 
hands  with  me,  and  then  called  to  one  of  his  numerous 
attendants  to  bring  a  stool  for  me.  This  was  soon  given 
to  me,  and  I  sat  to  exchange  with  him  the  few  Swahili 
compliments  that  I  could  think  of.  He  was  dressed  in  a 
bright  red  cloth,  with  a  leathern  girdle  round  his  waist 
and  a  white  turban  on  his  head ;  he  had  a  great  crowd  of 
attendants  and  slaves,  and  gave  one  the  impression  of 
being  a  very  important  man.  He  brought  me  a  big 
cup  of  curds,  which  w^as  very  refreshing ;  and  then  he 
produced  a  large  prepared  cowskin,  and  upon  this  I 
curled  myself,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  staring 
natives  I  was  soon  fast  asleep.  My  little  dog  "  Sally  " 
that  I  bought  at  Zanzibar,  stood  guard  over  me,  growling 
angrily  if  she  thought  any  native  approached  too  near.  I 
slept  for  tw^o  hours,  and  then  was  suddenly  aroused  by 
hearing  the  report  of  a  revolver.  I  started  up,  fearing 
something  was  wrong,  but  found  out  that  it  was  Mr. 
Lewin  who  was  signalling  to  a  party  of  porters  w^ho  had 
missed  their  way.  AYe  pitched  our  tents  under  the  shade 
of  some  bananas,  and  the  caravan  gradually  filed  into 
camp,  ah  being  very  tired. 

The  Bishop  informed  us  that  he  intended  pushing  on  in 
the  afternoon  to  Mamboya,  to  prepare  the  missionaries 
there  for  our  arrival.    Accordingly  he  set  off  at  about  two 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


53 


o'clock,  to  be  followed  in  an  hour's  time  by  a  man  carry- 
ing one  of  his  boxes.  After  the  latter  had  been  gone 
about  two  hours,  he  came  running  back  into  camp  saying 
that  he  had  met  two  men  who  had  just  escaped  a  lion, 
and  were  fleeing  from  it,  so  he  joined  them  and  came 
back  into  camp  with  the  Bishop's  box. 

The  next  day's  march  was  to  be  a  short  one,  so  we 


SALLY, 


did  not  have  to  start  before  6  a.m.  I  must  say  that  long 
before  this  I  had  grown  very  weary  of  the  early  morning 
•starts;  I  think  this  is  the  greatest  of  all  camp  life  trials. 
One  is  roused  sometimes  at  4  a.m.,  always  before  light,  and 
while  the  heavy  dew  is  on  the  ground  one  has  to  pack  up 
everything  into  boxes  and  bags,  and  turn  out  of  a  warm 
bed  into  the  cold  and  damp  night  air,  while  the  boys  and 


54 


LV  niVARF  LAND. 


porters  pull  down  one's  tent  and  roll  it  up,  and  cram 
everything  into  the  boxes.  No  one  ever  feels  ready  for  a 
breakfast  at  that  unearthly  hour,  and  yet  if  breakfast  is 
neglected  one  gets  faint  and  weary  long  before  the  end  of 
the  march. 

It  only  took  us  two  hours  to  walk  from  Magubika  to 
Mamboya ;  we  camped  at  the  foot  of  the  Mambira  Hills, 
about  half  an  hour's  walk  from  the  Mission  Station  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  which  is  beautifully  situated 
among  the  hills,  in  a  most  healthy  position.  There  were 
six  missionaries,  viz..  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Wood,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Deekes,  the  Misses  Waite  and  Colsey  ;  there  w^ere  also 
two  babies,  the  Deekes'  having  a  boy  of  two  years,  and 
the  Woods'  a  girl  of  three  months. 

There  is  no  doubt  Mamboya  is  one  of  the  prettiest 
C.M.S.  stations  in  i\.frica.  The  houses  are  nicely  built, 
and  when  we  arrived  there  it  w-as  just  like  getting  home 
once  more  after  a  few  weeks  of  rough  camp  life.  W^e 
were  most  heartily  w^elcomed  by  Mr.  Deekes,  wiio  came 
doW'U  the  hill  to  our  camp  in  the  valley,  and  escorted  us 
up  to  the  Mission.  Here  we  found  the  Bishop,  who  had 
arrived  the  day  before,  and  seemed  none  the  worse  for  his 
long  march,  and  he  had  seen  nothing  of  the  lion. 

It  w^as  a  great  treat  once  more  to  sit  down  before  a 
nicely  spread  board,  but  what  seemed  to  take  our  fancy 
most  w^as  the  delicious  home-made  bread,  which  of  course 
w'e  had  not  partaken  of  since  we  left  Zanzibar,  and  this  is 
one  of  the  things  one  misses  most  in  tramping  through 
Africa;  the  tasteless  "  chupati  "  or  the  roast  sw^eet  potato, 
has  to  take  the  place  of  bread  on  the  march.  Milk,  too, 
and  fresh  butter,  and  a  whole  leg  of  mutton,  instead  of 
condensed  milk,  tinned  butter,  and  scraps  of  fried  meat. 

W^e  spent  five  days  at  Mamboya,  and  thoroughly  en- 
joyed the  rest,  and  the  kindness  which  we  received  from 
the  missionaries  was  very  great ;  they  insisted  upon  our 


] 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


57 


taking  all  our  meals  up  at  the  Mission,  and  we  used  to  go 
up  the  hill  at  8  a.m.  not  returning  to  camp  until  late 
in  the  evening. 

Soon  after  we  arrived  here  some  of  the  Europeans'  ])oys 
declared  that  they  wished  to  leave,  and  they  brought 
their  parents  to  us,  who  lived  at  Mamboya,  who  said  that 
they  would  not  allow  their  sons  to  proceed  with  us  any 
further.  It  will  be  remembered  that  when  they  came  to 
us  they  declared  themselves  to  be  "  mission  boys,"  and 
upon  that  recommendation  we  engaged  them,  and  we 


CHIEF  OF  MAMBOYA,   WITH  HIS  SON  AXD  WITCH  DOCTOR. 

now  found  that  they  were  not  mission  boys,  and  that 
their  reason  for  engaging  themselves  to  us  was  merely  to 
get  back  to  their  home  at  Mamboya.  We  had  paid  them 
for  two  months  in  advance,  and  so  insisted  that  the 
money  for  one  month  should  be  returned  to  us  if  the 
boys  remained  behind.  After  some  hesitation  it  was 
brought  to  us  in  the  shape  of  sheep  and  goats.  For- 
tunately for  me  my  boy  had  no  relations  and  was 
quite  willing  to  proceed  to  Uganda  with  me,  and  as 


58 


IX  PJVARF  LAND. 


he  had  pleased  me  so  far,  I  was  very  glad  to  retain  his 
services. 

The  population  of  Usagara  is  large  and  scattered,  but 
the  people  are  generally  very  poor,  largely  as  a  result  of 
their  laziness,  and  also  on  account  of  the  constant 
famines.  They  rely  upon  their  crops  of  mtama  and 
maize  almost  entirely,  and  if  locusts  come  and  eat  these 
up  there  is  nothing  left  for  them.  Their  flocks  and  herds 
are  not  large,  but  each  chief  seems  to  possess  a  few. 
Woman,  as  almost  everywdiere  in  uncivilised  Africa,  is 
the  slave  and  drudge  of  the  family,  bought  and  sold  by 
the  man,  and  ill-treated  at  his  pleasure. 

Missionary  work  amongst  such  a  tribe  is  necessarily 
difficult,  and  must  be  of  a  very  practical  kind,  and  un- 
doubtedly this  is  a  very  marked  feature  of  the  Mamboya 
mission.  The  real  self-denying  character  of  its  mis- 
sionaries, and  especially  of  the  two  young  ladies,  who, 
living  in  this  wald  place,  are  seeking  to  help  their  dark 
sisters  into  a  better  life,  is  a  sine  qua  non  for  the  success 
of  the  work. 

During  the  famine  time,  hundreds  of  pounds  of  rice  are 
distributed  to  the  needy  ones,  and  thousands  flock  to  the 
Mission  premises  to  receive  the  precious  gifts  of  food. 
This  is  what  appeals  to  the  savage,  for  in  it  he  can  see 
love,  an  attribute  which  is  little  known  among  them.  At 
this  station  Dr.  Baxter  has  his  headquarters,  and  every 
day  has  a  great  number  of  patients  come  to  him  for  treat- 
ment, and  during  our  short  stay  he  had  several  important 
operations,  which  he  performed  with  his  usual  skill. 

We  left  Mamboya  October  29th,  and  can  look  back 
upon  our  stay  there  as  one  of  the  very  pleasant  incidents 
in  our  life  in  Africa.  Such  kind  and  hearty,  not  to  say 
generous,  hospitality  received  right  away  there  in  Central 
Africa,  was  better  than  all  we  could  have  hoped  for,  and 
as  we  bade  our  friends  goodbye,  it  w^as  wdth  mingled 


IN  DWARF  LAND, 


59 


feelings.  The  road  that  lay  before  us  was  very  dark, 
famine  hovered  about  us  like  some  beast  of  prey,  and 
at  Mamboya  we  were  to  leave  behind  our  good  and 
trusted  friend  Dr.  Baxter,  w^hose  help  had  been  so 
readily  given  in  managing  our  great  caravan  during  the 
short  time  he  had  been  with  us.  We  now  spht  our 
caravan  into  two  parts.  Selecting  the  loads,  &c.,  that 
would  be  required  by  us  on  the  journey  up  to  the  Lake, 
w^e  gave  them  to  a  party  of  the  strongest  and  best  men, 
and  with  these  we  w^ere  to  push  forward,  leaving  K'shimba 
to  follow^  on  with  the  main  body  of  the  caravan.  He,  of 
course,  would  be  obliged  to  go  much  slower  than  it  was 
necessary  for  us,  and  we  felt  that  the  sooner  w^e  could  get 
to  the  Lake  the  better ;  our  health  w^as  already  beginning 
to  suffer  from  the  exposure  and  roughness  of  camp  life, 
although  we  hardly  knew  it. 

Four  hours'  march  from  Mamboya  is  a  lovely  little 
glen,  through  which  runs  a  clear  bubbling  stream,  and  by 
the  side  of  this  we  had  our  tents  pitched.  Mr.  Pike  and 
I  then  went  off  into  the  thicket  to  try  and  shoot  guinea- 
chicks,  but  failed,  and  when  coming  back  to  camp  after 
sunset,  walking  in  the  faint  light  of  the  moon,  a  huge 
snake  suddenly  reared  itself  just  a  yard  in  front  of  me.  I 
darted  back  not  a  moment  too  soon,  and  it  then  glided 
aw^ay  with  its  head  reared  and  its  eyes  fixed  upon  me  ; 
it  w^as  a  narrow^  escape,  another  step  would  have  taken 
me  to  certain  death,  for  I  saw  that  it  was  a  black  and 
yellow-breasted  adder,  one  of  the  most  deadly  snakes  in 
Africa. 

At  Rabayo,  tw^o  days  from  Mamboya,  we  had  a  little 
excitement.  It  was  the  first  sign  of  a  rebellion  amongst 
our  porters.  They  had  had  but  little  food,  and  water  too 
w^as  scarce,  and  feeling  that  their  head-man,  K'shimba,  was 
far  enough  away  to  be  harmless,  they  organised  a  raid  upon 
one  of  the  villages  near  to  the  camping-ground.   I  had  just 


6o 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


selected  a  suitable  site  for  my  tent  and  was  looking  about 
for  the  porters  and  boys  to  put  it  up,  but  the  camp  seemed 
deserted,  \yhen  to  my  utter  astonishment  I  saw  all  the 
porters,  armed  with  their  knob-kerries,  sticks,  spears,  kc, 
making  their  way  rapidly  up  the  hill,  upon  the  summit  of 
wdiich  was  the  village.  At  once  I  guessed  their  design  to 
be  that  of  theft,  and  this  would  of  course  mean  disaster 
to  our  caravan  in  a  thickly  populated  district,  as  this  was. 
There  w^as  not  a  moment  to  spare,  and  so,  picking  up  a 
stick,  I  ran  at  full  speed  up  the  hill,  caught  the  first  man 
up,  and  then  turned  round  upon  them  all,  and  in  the  best 
Swahili  I  could  command  ordered  them  back  again, 
telling  them  that  I  knew  what  they  were  after.  There 
w^ere  about  seventy  of  them  all  told,  and  at  first  they 
seemed  to  ignore  me,  and  some  attempted  to  force  their 
way  past  me,  looking  threateningly  first  at  me  and  then 
at  the  weapons  they  carried.  When  I  saw  this,  I  knew 
that  they  had  made  up  their  minds  to  carry  out  their 
purpose  in  spite  of  the  resistance  offered  by  the  European, 
so  I  dashed  at  the  man  who  was  leading  them,  seized  him 
round  the  waist  and  gave  him  the  "  throw,"  at  the  same 
time  bringing  my  stick  down  across  his  bare  shoulders 
with  considerable  force.  Although  he  was  a  man  half  as 
big  again  as  myself,  and  carrying  a  gun,  he  was  thoroughly 
cowed,  and  picking  himself  up  stared  at  me  in  blank 
astonishment.  I  immediately  follow'ed  up  the  impression 
I  had  made  by  a  sudden  rush  at  the  whole  gang,  and 
they  all,  with  about  ten  exceptions,  ran  away  as  fast  as 
their  legs  would  carry  them,  and  I  chased  them,  flourish- 
ing the  stick  above  my  head.  Mr.  Pike  then  joined  me, 
having  discovered  the  trouble,  and  he  entered  into  the 
chase  with  great  enthusiasm.  What  a  sight  it  was,  to 
see  about  seventy  great  stalwart  fellows,  all  armed — any 
one  of  whom,  if  he  possessed  pluck  enough,  would  have 
been  a  match  for  either  of  us  so  far  as  strength  is  con- 


IX  DWARF  LAND. 


6i 


cerned — racing  headlong  down  the  hiU,  chased  by  two 
EngHshmen  armed  with  nothing  but  sticks  I  In  this 
manner  we  drove  the  main  body  of  the  porters  back  to 
camp ;  but  further  trouble  was  ahead  of  us. 

We  walked  back  up  the  hill  to  the  village  to  try  and 
make  friends  with  the  villagers,  but  we  found  that  while 
we  had  been  driving  back  to  camp  the  greater  number  of 
the  men  like  a  flock  of  sheep,  the  rest  had  crept  past  us 
in  the  long  grass  and  had  entered  the  village,  driven  out 
all  the  startled  inhabitants,  and  were  freely  helping  them- 
selves to  the  little  food  there  was.  The  villages  of  this 
district  are  built  either  in  a  square  or  triangular  form. 
There  are  two  main  entrances  to  the  village,  and  the 
houses  are  all  joined  together  and  form  a  wall  around  it, 
with  an  open  square  in  the  middle.  There  are  no  win- 
dows in  the  rooms,  but  small  holes  about  two  inches  in 
diameter,  are  apparently  used  for  spy-holes  by  the  inhabit- 
ants. Of  course,  as  soon  as  we  entered  the  village  there  was 
not  a  soul  to  be  seen,  but  we  knew  that  ten  or  a  dozen  of 
our  men  were  somewhere  in  the  houses  hiding  themselves. 
Without  any  hesitation  (although,  as  we  thought  of  it 
afterwards,  it  was  rather  risky)  we  rushed  into  the  nearest 
house.  All  was  pitch  dark,  and  not  a  hand's  length  could 
we  see  before  us.  We  felt  our  way  about  from  house  to 
house  as  best  we  could,  and  ever}'  now  and  then  we  could 
hear  some  one  glide  past  us  in  the  darkness,  and  if  we 
made  a  dash  at  this  invisible  person,  we  were  sure  to  come 
violently  in  contact  with  either  the  wall  or  the  doorpost. 
It  seemed  hopeless  for  us  to  try  and  catch  these  fellows, 
besides  being  somewhat  dangerous,  as  I  suppose  none  of 
them  would  have  been  particular  about  using  their  spears 
if  they  had  been  caught.  We  therefore  stationed  ourselves 
one  at  each  entrance  to  the  village  on  the  outside,  so  as  to 
pounce  upon  them  as  they  came  out.  We  waited  and 
waited,  but  not  a  man  stirred.    They  were  too  sharp  for 


62 


IN  DWARF  LA  AW. 


lis,  and  presently  on  looking  down  the  hill  we  saw^  a 
number  of  them  stealing  back  to  camp  ;  they  had  climbed 
over  the  houses,  and  thus  evaded  us.  However,  we 
recognised  several  of  them  as  they  crept  in  the  grass 
with  stolen  food,  fowds,  &c.,  in  their  hands,  and  when  we 
got  back  to  camp  pounced  upon  them,  and  they  w^ere 
punished  by  the  head-man  with  a  few  smart  lashes.  In 
the  evening  of  the  day  we  had  a  great  oration.  Mr.  Pike 
spoke  to  them  by  interpretation,  telling  them  w^hy  we  had 
stopped  them  from  stealing,  and  pointing  out  the  great 
danger  in  which  they  placed  the  caravan  by  indulging  in 
such  raids  upon  the  villages.  We  then  went  up  to  the 
village  again,  to  call  back  the  people  if  possible.  At  first 
no  one  could  be  found,  but  after  a  little  time  I  saw  a  man 
whom  I  believed  to  be  the  chief,  at  some  distance,  trying 
to  hide  himself  behind  a  tree.  I  called  him  to  me,  but  he 
refused  to  come,  and  so,  throwing  down  my  umbrella  and 
the  small  stick  with  which  I  had  been  belabouring  the 
rebel  porters,  I  w^alked  towards  him  with  outstretched 
hands.  He  then  saw  that  I  meant  peace,  and  came  to 
meet  me.  I  explained  as  best  I  could  that  we  w^ere 
Englishmen  and  wished  to  be  his  friends ;  and  that  we 
had  been  trying  to  prevent  our  porters  from  stealing  his 
property.  He  then  embraced  me  most  affectionately,  and 
we  W'alked  hand  in  hand  back  to  the  village.  He  next 
called  his  people  together,  and  w^e  had  a  great  peace- 
making, and  they  all  showed  themselves  most  grateful 
for  the  deliverance  we  had  wrought  on  their  behalf. 
But  there  is  a  very  serious  side  to  the  whole  matter. 
We  heard  afterwards  that  immediately  our  porters  com- 
menced to  raid  the  village,  the  chief  sent  off  messengers 
through  all  the  district  calling  the  native  warriors  to  fight 
against  the  caravan.  When  w^e  found  this  out  w^e  asked 
the  chief  to  send  other  messengers  to  assure  the  people 
that  all  w^as  peaceful ;  but  it  will  be  seen  what  great 
trouble  might  have  arisen  from  such  an  act. 


LY  DWARF  LAAW. 


63 


As  I  have  said,  the  European  is  largely  at  the  mercy  of 
his  porters.  Sometimes  these  unscrupulous  fellows  would 
actually  tell  the  village  people  that  the  Europeans  had 
sent  them  for  so  many  bags  of  corn,  or  so  many  sheep  or 
goats,  and  that  if  they  did  not  send  them  to  him,  he  would 
come  himself  and  fight  them,  and  the  village  folk,  being 
greatly  afraid  of  the  European's  guns,  would  rather  give 
away  all  they  possessed  than  make  an  enemy  of  him,  and 
having  done  so  look  for  an  opportunity  of  attacking  his 
caravan  when  least  expected,  and  so  take  their  revenge. 


GEIOIAX  ROAD,  EAST  AFKICA. 

We  next  had  to  cross  an  immense  Masai  plain,  called 
Mlala,  over  which  these  well-known  warriors  of  Eastern 
Africa  wander  in  bands  with  their  cattle ;  being  entirely 
nomadic  in  their  habits  of  life,  they  never  settle  in  one 
place  for  long,  and  of  course  never  cultivate  the  ground. 
The  plain  was  full  of  game  of  all  descriptions.  AVe  saw- 
quantities  of  antelope  and  zebra,  but  were  unable  to 
leave  our  caravan  to  hunt,  lest  our  porters,  being  left  for  a 
time,  should  again  try  to  raid  the  villages  en  route.  As 
we  marched  we  were  able  to  get  a  shot  now  and  then  ; 


64 


AV  niVARF  LA  AW. 


bustards,  guinea  fowl,  partridges,  quails  and  pigeons  were 
in  abundance,  and  made  useful  additions  to  our  larder. 

On  Friday,  November  2nd,  we  reached  the  second 
inland  station  of  the  C.M.S.,  called  Mpwapwa.  The 
missionaries  here  were  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Price  and  Mr. 
Doulton.  They  received  us  very  kindly  and  put  us  up 
in  the  mission  houses.  They  could  not  speak  of  any 
very  marked  results  of  their  work,  as  the  people  were 
very  dull  and  thoroughly  indolent.  Still  there  were  the 
few  who  had  been  raised  into  a  better  life,  and  who  shall 


GERMAN  FORT,  MPWAPWA. 


say  that  Missions  are  a  failure  if  it  be  but  the  few  that 
are  raised  and  made  better  ? 

At  Mpwapwa  the  Germans  have  a  large  fort  and  two 
or  three  officers  live  there.  Their  rule  is  very  strict  and 
decidedly  military  in  character,  the  natives  being  very 
much  afraid  of  them.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  w4iat 
real  benefit  the  natives  themselves  derive  from  this 
military  occupation,  and  I  think  it  must  be  a  minus 
quantity,  for  apart  from  the  fine  houses  built  for  the 
Europeans  and  a  broad  road  leading  up  to  the  fort,  there 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


^'5 


seemed  to  be  no  attempt  at  improvement  in  the  country. 
The  native  builds  the  houses  and  makes  the  road.  The 
former  are  no  use  to  him,  and  the  latter,  in  his  opinion, 
is  quite  unnecessary ;  he  can  do  equally  well  with  a 
footpath  a  few  inches  wide. 

From  Mpwapwa  to  Kisokwe  is  only  two  hours'  walk, 
and  here  again  we  met  with  friends,  missionaries  of  the 
C.M.S.,  Eev.  and  Mrs.  Cole,  Kev.  and  Mrs.  Beverley, 
and  Mr.  Briggs.  We  remained  a  few  days  at  Kisokwe  to 
allow  K'shimba  with  the  main  portion  of  our  caravan  to 


KISOKWK. 


overtake  us,  as  we  heard  that  he  was  not  far  behind. 
Several  of  the  porters  that  we  had  agreed  to  take  on 
with  us  had  deserted,  and  it  was  necessary  for  us  to  pro- 
cure from  K'shimba  a  few  more  trustworthy  men,  that 
we  might  proceed  without  delay  to  Nasa. 

We  were  told  by  our  friends  at  the  Mission  that  famine 
was  still  raging  in  the  district,  and  that  we  might  expect 
it  all  the  way  to  Nasa.  How  important  it  was  to  hurry 
along  will  therefore  readily  be  seen.  While  waiting  at 
Kisokvv^e  for  K'shimba  we  amused  ourselves  by  going  out 

6 


66 


IX  DJVARF  LAND. 


hunting.  There  are  numbers  of  antelope  hving  on  the 
Kisokwe  Hills,  and  we  had  several  very  good  hunts. 
There  are  also  numerous  leopards  in  the  district,  and  one 
of  Mr.  Cole's  goats  was  killed  by  one  of  these  animals. 
The  herdsman,  however,  drove  the  leopard  off  before  it 
had  time  to  devour  its  prey,  and  poison  was  put  upon 
the  carcase,  with  the  result  that  a  fine  big  leopard  was 
found  dead  by  the  side  of  it  the  following  morning.  One 
of  our  donkeys  died  suddenly  at  this  place,  and  hyenas 
spent  the  whole  night  hovering  about  the  carcase,  making 
most  objectionable  noises.  All  had  disappeared  by  day- 
break, donkey  included. 

After  leaving  Kisokwe  some  of  the  awful  horrors  of 
famine  came  under  our  notice.  The  porters  could  buy 
no  food ;  they  must  get  it  somehow  or  else  die.  They 
were  in  a  terrible  state  and  ready  to  do  anything.  One 
day  they  came  upon  the  corpse  of  a  man  who  had  been 
dead  some  days  and  was  quite  decomposed,  and  yet  so 
famished  were  the  poor  fellows  that  they  actually  took 
the  corpse  and  devoured  it,  and  this  was  repeated  the 
next  day  when  some  natives  were  seen  carrying  the  body 
of  a  man,  who  had  just  died,  into  the  bush — they  seized 
it  and  consumed  it.  Some  of  them  were  like  living 
skeletons,  and  the  majority  were  so  very  improvident 
that  even  if  they  did  procure  a  little  food  they  never 
thought  of  making  it  last  for  more  than  one  meal,  and 
the  consequence  was  that  they  did  not  derive  proper 
benefit  from  it. 

But  we  still  hoped  for  better  things.  Sometimes  we 
were  told  that  in  three  days  we  should  be  in  a  district 
where  there  was  plenty  of  food,  and  at  others  we  were 
informed  that  the  famine  reached  even  to  the  Lake  shores. 
We  could  only  keep  moving,  trusting  God  to  help  us  and 
provide  for  our  poor  half-starving  porters  that  which  we 
in  our  helplessness  were  unable  to  procure. 


CHAPTER  IV 


CAMP  LIFE  {continued) 

Wagogo  thieves — K'shimba  in  distress — Trouble  in  the  forest — The 
Martini  rifle — Our  hunting  expeditions — When  the  boots  wear  out — 
Burungi,  the  land  of  plenty — Rains  are  upon  us — Buying  food — The 
Warungi — The  warriors  and  my  dog  Sally — How  troubles  come — 
Irangi — A  courteous  reception — We  tend  the  sick — The  Governor  as 
a  patient— An  African's  gratitude — K'shimba  turns  up — He  relates 
his  troubles — Bwana  Kitangi  to  the  rescue. 

WE  were  now  entering  the  country  of  Ugogo,  the 
people  of  which  are  very  much  given  to  steaHng, 
and  it  was  necessary  for  us  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out  for 
these  notorious  robbers.  Although  the  country  seemed 
very  little  populated,  so  far  as  we  could  tell  by  the 
number  of  villages,  still  large  bands  of  the  Wagogo  were 
constantly  met  with,  and  we  never  knew  when  they  were 
in  our  neighbourhood.  Any  straggling  porter  was  liable 
to  be  murdered  by  them  and  his  load  stolen.  We  there- 
fore split  up  the  Europeans  into  two  sections ;  two  of  us 
went  at  the  head  of  the  caravan  to  prevent  any  going  on 
too  fast,  and  two  of  us  remained  with  the  head-man  at  the 
rear  to  stop  any  from  loitering  behind.  In  camp  also  we 
all  kept  close  together  with  the  loads  stacked  up  in  the 
midst.  But  even  with  all  our  efforts  to  protect  the 
porters  their  own  utter  stupidity  frequently  led  them  into 
trouble,  and  as  we  marched  the  two  Europeans  in  the 
rear  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to  keep  the  men  together. 

67 


68 


IN  DJVARF  LAND. 


AVe  knew  that  in  every  thick  part  of  the  forest  through 
which  our  way  led  there  were  enemies  w^aiting  for  the 
stragglers,  whom  they  w^ould  at  once  spear,  and  then 
steal  the  loads ;  and  although  the  porters  knew  this 
perfectly  well  they  did  not  seem  to  mind  at  all,  and  for 
the  sake  of  a  little  rest  were  willing  to  risk  their  lives. 

I  remember  one  day  when  I  was  behind  the  others, 
suddenly  coming  upon  a  number  of  Wagogo  thieves, 
armed  with  their  spears  and  bows  and  arrows.  They 
w^ere  in  the  act  of  creeping  up  to  a  few^  of  our  porters, 
who  were  foolishly  sitting  dow^n  by  the  roadside  smoking. 
When  they  saw-  me  they  entered  the  bush  and  I  hurried 
the  porters  on  to  join  the  caravan.  We  had  not  gone 
many  days'  journey  from  Kisokwe,  however,  before  we 
received  news  from  our  head-man,  K'shimba,  who  it  wall 
be  remembered  w^as  in  charge  of  the  main  caravan,  and 
w^as  a  few  days'  journey  behind  us,  that  he  had  lost  a 
number  of  his  porters  in  this  way.  Staying  behind,  they 
had  been  murdered  and  their  goods  stolen.  He  sent  on 
to  ask  us  to  allow'  forty  of  our  men  to  return  to  him 
to  help  bring  on  the  loads.  We  of  course  could  not  do 
this  until  we  had  reached  Irangi,  wdiich  was  still  some 
days  ahead  of  us.  We  therefore  sent  back  to  K'shimba 
telling  him  to  follow  us  on  as  best  he  could,  and  that 
W'hen  we  reached  Irangi  we  w^ould  send  him  help  if 
possible. 

Between  us  and  Irangi  there  w^as  a  thick  forest 
to  go  through.  Hour  after  hour  we  toiled  along  in  the 
terrible  heat — there  seemed  to  be  no  air  to  breathe — 
now  pushing  our  w^ay  through  the  tangled  undergrow-th, 
now  stooping  almost  double  under  some  bending  trunk  of 
a  tree,  then  climbing  over  another  only  a  few  yards 
distant.  Add  to  all  this  the  sickening  want  of  water  and 
proper  nourishment,  not  to  mention  the  w^eary  work  of 
urging  on  the  porters,  and  it  wdll  be  seen  that  these  few 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


69 


marches  through  the  forest  were  very  hard  indeed.  And 
if  it  were  so  hard  for  us  who  had  nothing  to  carry  but 
ourselves,  and  if  loe  felt  to  such  a  degree  the  burning 
thirst,  what  must  be  said  of  the  poor  creatures  who 
carried  our  loads !  Amongst  them  death  had  become 
quite  common ;  some  through  want  of  food,  others  from 
various  causes  had  to  give  in  and  simply  lay  themselves 
down  to  die.  Pike  and  I  were  walking  together  at  one 
time  when  we  came  upon  a  poor  fellow  sitting,  or  rather 
reclining,  by  the  roadside.    AVe  went  up  to  him  and  tried 


UGOGO  VILLAGE. 


to  urge  him  to  come  on,  but  he  simply  shook  his  head. 
We  raised  him  to  his  feet,  but  he  could  not  even  stand 
upright.  What  were  we  to  do  ?  There  were  no  villages 
for  miles  and  miles  around.  I  felt  his  pulse  ;  it  seemed 
to  have  stopped,  and  his  heart  scarcely  beat  at  all,  and 
we  knew  that  all  would  soon  be  over.  As  a  last  act  of 
kindness  we  carried  him  to  a  more  comfortable  spot,  gave 
him  all  the  food  we  had  with  us  and  the  bottle  of  cocoa 
that  I  carried  on  my  back,  and  with  sad  and  aching 
hearts  we  left  him  there  to  die. 


70 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


It  seems  inhuman  thus  to  leave  a  dying  man,  but  as 
men  who  might  be  speedily  overtaken  by  the  same  fate, 
we  felt  it  our  duty  to  go  forward.  Before  the  last  man 
of  the  caravan  had  passed  that  spot  this  poor  dark  heathen 
soul  had  gone  !  Gone !  but  can  we  doubt  for  him  a 
Father's  care  ?  No  !  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  believe 
that  such  as  he  will  be  left  and  forgotten,  without  the 
watchful,  pitying  eye  of  the  loving  Father.  Africa  is  full 
of  the  most  heartrending  scenes,  and  hearts  must  be 
made  of  adamant  that  will  not  melt  with  compassion. 
What,  therefore,  can  l)e  the  feelings  of  the  sympathising 
Christ  for  these  dark,  ignorant  souls  that  go  down  into 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  with  no  glimmer  of 
hope  ? 

We  were  now  getting  near  to  the  land  of  plenty,  at 
least  so  we  w^ere  told  by  those  we  met  on  the  road, 
and  our  porters  began  to  gain  courage.  Moving  out  of 
camp  one  morning,  only  about  five  hundred  yards  away 
from  the  outskirts  of  our  camping-ground,  I  came  upon 
the  body  of  a  man  who  had  been  dead  only  a  few  hours ; 
a  little  way  from  him  were  his  broken  cooking-pot  and 
mat,  and  an  empty  water-bottle.  In  his  hand  he  still 
grasped  a  little  iron  hoe,  and  a  few  yards  away  was  a 
deep  hole  that  he  had  evidently  been  digging  in  order  if 
possible  to  procure  water,  but,  overcome  w4th  thirst,  he 
had  probably  fainted,  and  the  pangs  of  death  laid  hold 
upon  him — so  near  to  our  camp  that  he  might  almost 
have  heard  our  voices,  and  had  he  pushed  on  but  a 
few  hundred  yards  he  would  have  received  from  us  the 
precious  liquid  he  so  sorely  needed.  When  at  last  we 
emerged  from  the  forest  we  found  ourselves  upon  a  huge 
plain,  well  watered  and  abounding  in  game  of  all  sorts — 
buffalo,  zebra,  rhinoceros,  and  all  kinds  of  antelope  both 
large  and  small.  Each  day  upon  getting  into  camp  we 
would  go  off  hunting,  trying  to  provide  ourselves  and  our 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


71 


porters  with  food.  Sometimes  we  were  successful,  at 
others  w^e  came  back  empty-handed.  I  found  that  the 
Martini  sporting  rifle  w^as  by  far  the  best  for  antelope  and 
smaller  game.  Some  antelope,  how^ever,  are  most  difficult 
to  get.  They  will  run  off  with  a  bullet  in  the  shoulder 
as  if  nothing  were  wrong,  and  suddenly  disappear  in  the 
thicket.  The  hunter  is  apt  to  think  that  they  have  made 
good  their  escape,  but  by  a  careful  search  along  the  trail 
the  wounded  animal  will  be  found  reclining,  only  to  race 
off  again  if  a  second  shot  is  not  soon  forthcoming.  A 


GAME  DISTRICT. 

rifle  with  smaller  calibre  seldom  drops  an  antelope, 
unless  hit  right  through  the  heart,  and  even  then  I  have 
known  them  run  fifty  yards  before  falling.  For  elephants, 
buffalo,  hippo  and  rhino,  there  is  nothing  like  a  '308 
calibre,  but  the  sportsman  must  have  a  steady  hand  and 
a  strong  nerve,  as  a  "303  bullet  will  not  stop  a  charging 
elephant  unless  it  penetrates  the  brain,  w^hich  is  not  an 
easy  shot. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  vitality  of  the  antelope,  I 
fired  at  tw^o  hundred  yards  with  my  Martini  at  a  large 


72 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


Kob  ;  the  bullet  entered  the  hind  quarters  and  broke  the 
thigh,  it  then  ran  quite  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ;  I  stalked  it, 
and  again  fired  at  about  the  same  distance,  and  this  time 
the  bullet  expanded  and  literally  turned  the  poor  beast 
inside  out,  but  even  then  it  made  off  at  a  headlong  gallop. 
Just  as  it  was  entering  a  thicket  I  fired  the  third  shot, 
and  this  time  the  bullet  pierced  the  heart.  A  few  herds 
of  the  larger  Koodoo  roamed  about  on  the  plains,  also 
Jacksonii,  Spring-buck,  Reed-buck,  &c. 

My  next  personal  trouble  was  the  wearing  out  of  the 
only  pair  of  boots  I  had  with  me.  I  had  hoped  that  they 
would  last  until  we  reached  Irangi,  where  we  were  to 
wait  for  K'shimba,  but  they  came  to  an  end  before  I 
expected,  and  so  I  had  to  tramp  along  the  rough  roads 
with  large  holes  in  the  soles  of  both  boots.  Blisters  w^ere 
the  result,  and  I  bid  fair  to  become  a  cripple.  It  may  be 
wondered  why  I  did  not  ride  my  donkey ;  the  fact  was, 
the  donkey  was  now  in  constant  use  as  a  pack  animal, 
and  each  day  carried  a  large  load  of  things,  as  many  of 
the  porters  had  either  died  or  deserted  us,  and  it  was  the 
same  with  the  other  two  donkeys  that  remained.  So  I 
had  to  walk,  and  many  a  weary  hour  I  spent  in  this 
painful  way. 

Friday,  Xovember  16th,  found  us  in  the  country  known 
as  Burungi,  very  beautiful,  and  in  reality  like  an  immense 
plain  surrounded  by  hills  on  every  side,  covered  with 
villages,  and  plenty  of  food.  We  waited  here  a  day  or 
two  so  that  our  tired  porters  might  buy  food  and 
recuperate  a  little  after  the  very  tiring  time  they  had 
passed  through.  We  anticipated  difficulty  in  getting 
them  to  start  again  from  such  a  place  where  there  were 
so  many  allurements  for  the  weary  traveller.  There 
was,  however,  still  so  much  ground  to  be  covered,  and 
the  rainy  season  was  coming  on  so  fast,  that  we  felt  it 
wrong  to  stay  more  than  two  days. 


IN  DWARF  LA.\W. 


73 


We  therefore  got  up  in  good  time  on  the  third  morning 
after  om*  arrival,  pulled  down  our  tents,  and  packed  up 
our  camp  furniture,  but  our  "  darhng  "  porters  sat  still 
around  their  fires  unwilling  to  budge  an  inch.  AVe  urged 
them  with  kind  w^ords,  but  they  only  laughed  and  looked 
pleased.  We  urged  them  with  angry  words,  then  they 
seemed  quite  sorry  for  us,  but  stuck  manfully  by  the 
flames.  At  last  we  got  really  angry,  shivering  as  we 
were  with  cold  in  the  early  dawn,  and  with  no  tents  to 
shelter  us.  We  finally  rushed  upon  them  and  began  to 
scatter  their  fires  about  and  to  drive  our  now  startled 
"  AVan3'ams  "  out  of  camp. 

When  we  thought  all  had  gone  and  were  striding  out 
of  camp  ourselves,  we  discovered  about  a  dozen  of  the 
lazy  fellows  hiding  from  us  in  one  of  the  huts,  eating 
away  as  hard  as  they  could.  It  was  now  time  to  make 
an  example  of  one  of  them,  so  I  seized  hold  of  one  great 
fellow,  and  w^ith  a  thin  cane  that  I  carried  I  gave  him  a 
pretty  smart  thrashing.  He  then  shouldered  his  load 
and  walked  merrily  out  of  camp  along  with  the  others, 
and  he  did  not  appear  again  until  I  arrived  at  the  next 
camp,  when  he  came  up  to  me  as  pleased  as  possible  to 
show  himself.  Of  course,  as  with  children,  so  with 
Wanyamwezi  porters,  we  have  to  make  our  anger  short- 
lived, and  so,  when  this  stalwart  old  fellow  came  into 
camp,  I  praised  him  for  getting  in  so  soon,  gave  him  a 
biscuit,  and  generally  made  a  fuss  with  him,  and,  it  is  a 
fact,  I  never  had  any  more  trouble  with  that  man. 

About  the  middle  of  November  the  rains  began  in  real 
earnest,  and  we  were  brought  face  to  face  with  another 
serious  difficulty,  this  time  not  scarcity  of  water,  but  too 
much  of  it.  If  there  is  one  thing  an  African  dislikes 
more  than  another  it  is  rain,  and  our  Wanyamwezi  porters 
were  no  exception  to  the  rule.  As  soon  as  ever  a  shower 
came  on,  down  went  the  loads,  and  away  went  the  porters 


74 


LV  DWARF  LAXD. 


into  lints,  nnder  trees,  anyichcre,  ont  of  the  rain.  Of 
course  the  loads  didn't  matter,  they  could  be  left  on  the 
roadside  !  and  beautifally  wet  our  things  got.  So  much 
so  that  by  the  time  we  got  to  Nasa  many  of  our  clothes 
were  simply  rotten  and  utterly  spoilt.  Day  after  day 
this  would  happen,  and  we  began  to  wonder  whether  we 
should  ever  be  able  to  get  along.  It  is  true  that  these 
poor  fellows  die  like  rats  if  they  are  exposed  much  to  the 
rain,  and  they  would  sit  crouching  in  the  tiny  huts  of  the 
natives  or  in  bushes  by  the  roadside,  and,  all  wet  as  they 


RAINS  UPON  US. 

were,  they  soon  got  ague  and  fever,  and  the  best  thing 
w^e  could  do  was  to  urge  them  on.  As  we  entered  one 
house  and  drove  them  out  they  would  enter  another,  and 
hide  on  the  shady  side,  hoping  not  to  be  detected.  Then 
perhaps  the  rain  would  stop,  and  we  would  set  them 
going  once  more,  and  for  an  hour  or  so  all  would  go  well, 
but  wdien  the  rain  comes  down  agam,  away  they  all  run, 
and  we  give  up  in  despair,  and,  soaking  wet  ourselves, 
creep  into  one  of  the  filthy  huts,  full  of  smoke,  which 
nearly   choked  us,  rats  and  other  vermin  abounding. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


75 


Thus,  huddled  up  together  with  our  naked  porters,  we 
"  wait  till  the  clouds  roll  by." 

The  Burungi  natives  are  a  very  fine  race  of  men. 
They  are  warlike  and  bold,  and  tolerably  industrious,  for 
although  all  around  famine  w^as  raging,  they  had  plenty 
of  food  stored  away,  and  they  were  very  good  in  selling 
to  our  porters.  Every  morning  they  would  come  into 
our  camp  bringing  all  kinds  of  produce,  also  sheep,  goats, 
fowds,  and  eggs,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  stand  by  and 
w^atch  the  sale  proceed.  Our  porters  had  but  a  few  trade 
goods  left,  having  paid  exorbitant  prices  for  little  bits  of 
food  through  the  famine-stricken  district,  and  therefore 
they  did  their  best  to  cut  down  the  price  asked  by  the 
Burungi  warriors  ;  but  they  were  not  to  be  had  in  this 
way,  and  they  stood  upon  their  dignity,  asking  a  fair 
price  and  expecting  to  get  it,  and  when  offered  a  few^ 
inferior  beads  for  a  fnll-grown  cockerel  the  way  they 
would  toss  their  heads  and  stride  away  in  their  dignified 
manner  was  most  delightful  to  see. 

Sometimes  a  large  number  of  the  Warungi  would  come 
to  our  tents  and  ask  to  see  our  various  belongings.  I  think 
what  astonished  them  most  was  my  Berkefeld  filter,  to  see 
dirty  w^ater  transformed  into  a  beautiful  clear  liquid 
simply  did  for  them,  and  was  more  than  they  could 
understand.  The  camera  also  was  a  great  wonder  in 
their  eyes,  and  to  look  through  the  view^  finders  and  see 
their  companions  all  sitting  round  was  to  them  most 
remarkable.  My  field-glasses  also  were  a  source  of  great 
amusement,  and  they  never  tired  of  looking  at  them. 

They  are  great  hunters,  using  dogs  and  nets  for  the 
smaller  game,  and  digging  pits  for  the  larger  annuals. 
Their  own  weapons  consist  of  spears,  bows  and  arrows  of 
a  very  primitive  kind,  and  they  certainly  do  not  excel  as 
iron  workers. 

Another  incident  occurred  which  greatly  amused  me. 


76 


IN  DJVARF  LAND. 


I  was  some  long  distance  in  front  of  our  caravan,  accom- 
panied only  by  my  boy  and  my  faithful  little  dog  Sally, 
when,  as  we  came  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  we  suddenly  saw 
a  large  body  of  the  Burungi  warriors  in  full  war-paint 
racing  towards  us.  I  immediately  thought  that  they 
intended  to  attack  us,  and  as  I  stood  still  I  called  my 
little  dog  to  my  side  and  spoke  a  few  words  to  her,  some- 
thing about  "  going  for  them,"  when  she  started  barking, 
and  charged  down  upon  the  warriors,  tail  in  the  air.  It 
was  a  grand  sight  and  worth  going  to  Africa  for,  to  see 
these  ivarUke  men  run  for  their  lives,  with  Sally  at  their 
heels.  Upon  inquiry,  I  found  that  the  warriors  were  con- 
ducting a  supposed  witch  back  to  her  hut.  She  had  been 
charged  with  the  evil  eye,  and  brought  before  the  medicine 
man,  who  had  made  medicine  and  found  her  not  guilty. 
They  therefore  took  her  and  covered  her  with  a  kind  of 
white  paint  from  head  to  foot  and  were  in  the  act  of 
taking  her  back  to  her  hut  chanting  strange  warlike 
hymns,  when  their  course  was  slightly  altered  by  reason 
of  meeting  w4th  my  little  dog  Sally.  But  to  show  the 
contrast  of  this  little  joke  when  a  small  army  was  put 
to  flight  by  a  little  dog.  These  same  people,  after  we 
left,  attacked  our  head-man  K'shimba,  and  his  caravan 
of  about  300  men,  killing  20  (so  report  said)  and  wounding 
many  others.  Not  without  cause  was  this  attack  made, 
for  the  usual  misconduct  of  the  porters  stealing  from  the 
villagers  had  brought  it  about. 

I  often  used  to  say  that  I  and  my  little  dog  Sally  might 
walk  across  Africa  alone  in  perfect  safety,  and  undoubtedly 
where  trouble  with  the  natives  does  happen  to  a  caravan 
with  Europeans  in  it,  it  is  usually  occasioned  either  by 
ill  feeling  between  the  tribe  to  which  the  porters  belong 
and  the  people  through  whose  country  they  pass,  or  else 
it  is  caused  by  the  porters  making  petty  robberies  from 
the  villages.    I  have  known  of  exceptions,  however,  when 


IN  DIVARF  LAND. 


77 


the  European  himself  has  been  headstrong  and  hard  with 
the  natives,  treating  the  people  with  utter  indifference  and 
making  demands  upon  them  for  food,  c^^c.  It  is  then  not 
to  be  wondered  at  if  the  natives  do  attack  the  caravan, 
and  if  the  European  lose  his  life.  If  the  African  is  trusted 
and  generally  treated  as  a  human  being,  and  not  as  a 
lower  animal,  it  is  perfectly  easy  to  get  on  w^ith  him,  but 


TREE  FERNS. 


suspicion  or  high-handed  treatment  on  the  part  of  the 
European  will  always  bring  disaster  in  the  long  run. 

On  Monday,  November  19th,  we  reached  Irangi,  a  large 
settlement  consisting  of  well-built  houses  and  beautiful 
gardens,  with  an  Arab  (Bwana  Kitangi)  as  its  chief.  We 
were  received  by  the  Arab  and  his  followers  in  great  style. 
He  and  about  thirty  others,  dressed  in  their  beautiful 
flowing  robes,  walked  down  to  the  river-side  just  outside 
the  town  to  meet  us.    Such  splendour  would  hardly  be 


78 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


thought  possible  right  away  there  in  Central  Africa. 
We  shook  hands  all  round,  and  were  conducted  by  the 
Governor  into  his  house,  while  our  tents  were  pitched 
near  his  enclosure.  In  front  of  his  house  was  a  long 
flagstaff,  and  the  German  flag  was  flying,  Bwana  Kitangi 
being  in  German  employ,  and  placed  here  at  Irangi  by 
the  Germans.  He  took  us  to  the  verandah  of  his  house, 
and  regretted  that  we  had  not  sent  him  word  of  our 
coming,  as  he  would  have  met  us  more  suitably.  In 
every  w^ay  he  was  most  polite. 

After  a  few  moments'  rest,  we  went  to  see  to  our  tents, 
and  then  about  an  hour  or  more  afterwards,  while  resting, 
Bwana  Kitangi  sent  to  us  two  trays  with  a  large  pot  of 
tea  on  each,  a  roast  fowl  with  curry  and  eggs,  and  two 
different  kinds  of  pastry,  also  some  bananas.  In  the  after- 
noon we  all  went  to  see  him  and  to  thank  him,  and  as  w^e 
sat  under  the  verandah  of  his  house  he  ordered  coffee  for 
us,  which  was  served  in  tiny  little  bowls  holding  about 
half  a  wineglassful.  These  were  filled  several  times,  and 
we  very  much  enjoyed  it,  the  coffee  being  extremely  good. 

After  we  had  returned  to  our  tents,  he  sent  us  two  fat 
sheep,  a  lot  of  sweet  potatoes,  a  bag  of  native  flour,  ten 
sticks  of  sugar-cane,  and  a  quantity  of  yams.  Each 
morning  we  went  up  to  the  Governor's  house  to  told  " 
him  "  good  morning,"  as  our  good  cook  put  it,  and  then 
he  "told"  us  "good  afternoon."  Quite  a  little  bit  of 
society  life  in  this  wild  land. 

Presents  followed  one  upon  the  other — fruit,  consisting 
of  bananas,  guavas,  &c.,  and  each  day  a  present  of  pastry. 
We  began  to  feel  as  if  we  were  running  up  a  big  bill,  as 
our  friend  would  expect  a  large  present  from  us  before 
we  left. 

Our  tired  porters  were  faring  no  less  sumptuously  than 
we  were.  Great  loads  of  food  were  carried  into  camp 
every  day,  and  alas!    "  Pombi "   also   found   its  way 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


79 


amongst  them.  This  is  a  fermented  drink  made  either 
from  the  miUet  seed,  or  else  from  the  banana.  It  is  a 
mild  intoxicant,  but  of  course  the  black  man  has  no  idea 
of  moderation,  they  therefore  suffered  very  considerably 
from  intoxication.  Especially  was  this  the  case  with  the 
head-man,  who  had  more  money  to  spend  than  had  the 
ordinary  porter. 

During  the  few  days  that  we  spent  at  Irangi  we  had 
our  work  cut  out  to  attend  to  the  various  sick  folk  ;  not 
only  did  maijy  of  our  porters  need  treatment,  but  the 
people  of  Irangi  also  came  in  large  numbers.  I  had  told 
the  Governor  that  as  he  had  been  so  kind  to  us,  wx  should 
be  very  pleased  to  give  medicine  to  any  of  his  people  who 
needed  it.  He  was  ver}'  delighted,  and  to  my  surprise 
and  consternation  he  put  himself  into  my  hands,  com- 
plaining of  pains  in  the  shoulders  and  limbs.  From  wdiat 
I  could  make  out  (my  medical  knowledge  being  very 
limited)  he  was  suffering  from  chronic  rheumatism,  and 
as  he  was  an  elderly  man  it  was  of  course  a  difficult  case. 
However,  I  did  my  best  for  him,  I  need  not  say  here  what 
treatment  I  used ;  suffice  it  to  say,  in  a  few  days  he 
declared  himself  quite  well,  and  seemed  most  grateful. 
In  consequence  of  this  wonderful  cure  he  sent  to  me  all 
kinds  and  conditions  of  men,  w^omen,  and  little  children. 
Once  a  chief  came,  bringing  one  of  his  wives  suffering 
from  a  very  bad  internal  abscess.  It  was  rather  a  difficult 
undertaking  for  me,  but  I  got  through  in  a  most  pro- 
fessional manner,  and  the  poor  woman  w^as  very  thankful 
to  be  free  from  pain.  This  kind  of  thing  was  kept  up  all 
through  the  daytime  and  at  night ;  one  w\as  very  tired  and 
yet  thankful  to  have  been  some  little  use  in  alleviating 
some  very  few  of  the  sufferers  of  this  great  land. 

Some  of  the  cures  were  rather  remarkable  considering 
the  ingorance  of  the  physician.  One  case  in  particular 
called  forth  the  admiration  of  the  people.    A  poor  fellow^ 


8o 


AV  nWARF  LAXD. 


who  for  weeks  had  been  suffering  from  dysentery  in  its 
advanced  stage  was  brought  to  me  in  a  very  terrible 
condition,  simply  a  living  skeleton  and  utterly  powerless. 
Naturally  I  felt  very  unable  to  do  anything  for  him,  but  I 
did  wdiat  I  could.  Day  after  day  he  was  brought  to  my 
tent  during  our  stay  at  Irangi,  and  before  we  left  he  was 
so  changed  that  one  would  hardly  know  him.    The  last 


USAGARA  QUEEN. 


day  he  came  to  me  I  asked  him  if  he  had  come  for  more 
medicine.  "Oh,  no,"  he  said,  "I  have  come  to  thank 
you  very  much,  I  am  quite  well."  He  then  produced  a 
large  fowl  that  he  had  brought  to  me  as  a  thank-offering 
for  having  recovered  from  that  terrible  sickness. 

Some  people  seem  to  think  that  the  black  man  has  no 
gratitude  in  his  nature,  I  can  only  say  that  my  own 
experience  leads  me  absolutely  to  deny  such  an  idea. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


8i 


There  are  of  course  exceptions,  but  even  these  can  be 
accounted  for  according  to  the  custom  of  the  people,  but 
the  majority  of  Africans  are  most  truly  grateful  for  any 
real  kindness  shown  to  them,  not  in  a  merely  patronising 
way,  but  acts  of  kindness  prompted  by  love  always  call 
forth  true  gratitude  from  them. 

K'shimba  arrived  at  Irangi  on  Thursday  the  23rd,  and 
immediately  entered  most  joyfully  into  the  delight  of 
having  plenty  to  eat  and,  best  of  all,  plenty  to  drink. 
The  first  evening  he  got  into  camp  he  was  very  drunk. 
Pike  and  I  found  him  in  the  village  rolling  about  and 
making  a  great  noise.  So  we  took  him,  one  on  each  side, 
to  his  own  tent.  He  went  quite  w^illingly,  and  each  time 
we  spoke  to  him  he  said,  in  a  drunken  voice,  Yesh," 
which  means  "Yes,"  being  the  only  English  word  he 
knew.  We  were  more  amused  with  our  experience  of 
taking  home  a  drunken  nigger  than  we  ought  to  have 
been.  When  we  got  to  his  tent  he  immediately  called 
for  his  wives  to  come  and  entertain  us,  and  he  ordered 
hot  water  to  be  brought  for  tea,  and  food  to  be  prepared, 
and  was  evidently  most  hospitably  inclined,  but  w^e 
excused  ourselves,  saying  we  w^ere  tired,  and  came  aw^ay 
and  left  him  to  sleep  off  the  effects  of  the  intoxicant. 

The  following  morning  he  gave  us  the  true  story  of  his 
experiences  in  the  forest  with  the  natives  of  Burungi. 
He  stated  that  his  loss  of  men  amounted  to  twenty- two 
killed  and  ten  wounded  ;  of  these  thirteen  were  killed  by 
the  people  of  a  village  to  which  they  went  on  the  14th 
presumably  to  buy  corn,  probably  to  rob,  and  who  seem  to 
have  been  mistaken  by  the  villagers  for  other  natives  with 
whom  they  were  at  war.  Of  the  remainder,  three  were 
loitering  at  the  end  of  the  caravan  with  their  loads  next 
day,  and  were  attacked  by  the  Warungi  w^arriors  and 
speared,  but  one  man  managed  to  overtake  the  caravan 
before  he  died  of  a  ghastly  wound  between  the  shoulders, 

; 


82 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


and  men  were  sent  back  by  K'shiniba,  who  rescued  the 
loads  before  much  damage  was  done,  after  a  short,  sharp 
struggle  with  the  robbers.  The  remaining  six  died  from 
want  of  food  and  water  in  the  forest,  the  result,  probably, 
of  their  own  improvidence,  for  when  these  people  have 
food  they  eat  away  for  hours  together,  although  they 
know  perfectly  well  that  they  may  be  unable  to  procure 
more  food  for  days  to  come. 

Before  leaving  Irangi  we  had  another  review  of  our 
porters,  and  all  the  loads  were  counted.  To  our  great 
surprise  we  found  that  none  of  our  personal  belongings 
w^ere  missing ;  K'shimba  had  done  his  best,  he  said,  to 
preserve  our  private  loads,  and  if  a  porter  deserted  or  died 
who  had  been  carrying  our  things,  he  had  given  the  load 
to  some  other  man,  preferring  to  leave  behind  some  of 
Mr.  Stokes'  cowrie  shells  rather  than  call  forth  denun- 
ciations from  us.  We  highly  complimented  him  upon 
his  skill  as  a  head-man,  and  promised  him  big  presents  if 
we  got  to  Nasa  all  safe  and  well.  He  was  very  proud 
and  glad  to  receive  our  compliments,  and  especially  our 
promises.  The  porters  themselves  were  greatly  improved 
by  the  few  days'  rest  and  abundance  of  food.  Some 
were  looking  quite  fat  again,  and  all  seemed  eager  to  press 
forward. 

"  Posho  "  (food-money)  was  given  out  in  the  shape  of 
cloth  to  all,  and  a  clear  day  allowed  them  in  which  to  buy 
food  for  the  next  few  days'  journey.  K'shimba  asked  that 
now,  as  we  had  much  difficult  country  to  pass  through, 
he  might  accompany  us,  and  that  there  should  be  no 
splitting  up  of  the  caravan.  He  assured  us  that  where- 
ever  ive  were  there  was  safety,  and  it  was  only  when 
they  were  alone  that  the  danger  was  great.  We  readily 
agreed,  and  decided  that  however  much  longer  it  might 
take  to  reach  our  journey's  end,  it  was  only  right  that  we 
should  remain  as  protection  to  our  poor  black  porters 
who  were  carrying  our  loads. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


We  were  told  by  K'shimba  that  two  ways  were  now 
open  before  us,  and  it  was  for  us  to  decide  by  which  we 
should  proceed  ;  one  way  would  take  us  five  days  to  the 
border  of  the  Wanyamwezi  country,  and  another  month 
or  so  to  Nasa,  but  the  five  days'  journey  would  be  through 
a  country  the  people  of  which  were  wild  and  hostile  to 
Europeans.  The  other  way  was  much  longer,  taking  a 
circuitous  route  of  fifteen  days  through  the  forest  to 
escape  the  hostile  natives. 

We  referred  the  matter  to  Bwana  Kitangi,  the  iVrab 
Governor  of  Irangi,  and  he  told  us  that  he  knew  yet 
another  road,  taking  only  ten  days  to  Wanyamwezi 
country,  with  plenty  of  food  and  water  all  the  way,  and 
friendly  natives. 

We  therefore  chose  most  readily  this  new  road.  But 
our  many  experiences  must  be  related  in  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER  V 


THE    LAST  STAGES 

Farewell  to  Bwana  Kitangi— Kains — Washed  out — Floods— Swampy 
ground — The  porter's  slave — Sandawi— More  troubles— Considered 
himself  a  dead  man — A  hostile  people — Turu — Poisonous  roots — 
Christmas  Day— The  Wanyamwezi  country — Sickness — We  reach 
Nera — Meeting  with  Messrs.  Gordon  and  Nickisson — Carried  in  a 
hammock — Arrival  at  Nasa — Rest  at  last — Native  cloth— Embarka- 
tion on  Lake — Our  canoes — Hippopotami — Ukerewe — Mr.  Stokes — A 
narrow  escape — The  German  Station — The  stormy  winds  do  blow — 
The  Wasese — Crocodiles — The  last  day. 

THE  rest  which  was  so  welcomed  by  us  at  Irangi,  came 
to  an  end  on  the  '27th  of  November.  We  felt  very 
grateful  for  all  the  kindness  shown  to  us  by  the  old  Arab 
governor,  Bwana  Kitangi,  and  as  a  mark  of  our  appreciation, 
we  gave  him  a  watch  and  a  quantity  of  coloured  clothes, 
with  both  of  which  he  was  highly  delighted.  He  was  up 
very  early  in  the  morning  to  see  us  off,  and  expressed  a 
wish  that  we  could  have  stayed  longer  with  him,  thanked 
us  for  the  presents  we  had  given  him,  and  finally  bade  us 
farewell. 

Our  path  led  along  a  dry  river  bed  for  some  distance, 
and  in  the  evening  of  the  first  day  from  Irangi  we  camped 
on  the  river  bank.  Eain  came  dow^n  upon  us  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  with  truly  frightful  force,  it  seemed 
as  if  our  little  tents  w^ould  be  utterly  washed  away.  This 
continued  till  daybreak,  and  then  when  we  got  up  and 
looked  towards  the  river  we  were  amazed  beyond  measure, 

8i 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


85 


for  the  whole  of  the  immense  river  bed  was  full  of  raging, 
roaring  water,  which  dashed  along  in  great  waves  like 
the  sea,  carrying  away  trees  and  vegetation  of  every 
description.  As  our  path  lay  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river,  we  had  to  wait  until  the  water  had  gone  down 
a  little. 

At  this  camp  a  large  number  of  our  porters  deserted  us, 
and  we  were  consequently  delayed,  re-arranging  our  loads. 
Fortunately  we  had  been  able  to  procure  a  reserve  of  men 
from  Bwana  Kitangi,  and  the  delay  therefore  was  only 
a  short  one. 

On  again  we  went,  into  a  thick  forest,  in  which  there 
was  an  abundance  of  game  of  all  kinds — elephants,  zebra, 
giraffes,  buffalo,  and  antelope.  We  were  able  to  supply 
our  larder  with  many  good  things. 

The  rains  troubled  us  very  much  the  last  few  weeks, 
and  nearly  every  day  there  was  a  downpour,  our  clothes 
never  seemed  dry,  and  it  gave  one  a  creepy  sensation 
to  be  obliged  to  put  on  cold,  wet  clothing  in  the  early 
dawn.  At  about  eleven  o'clock  one  night  I  awoke,  to 
find  the  rain  pouring  down  upon  us  in  sheets.  I 
called  to  my  boys,  who  were  sleeping  under  a  tree, 
and  told  them  to  come  into  my  tent  to  lie  down  on  the 
floor  on  which  was  my  ground  sheet,  and  go  to  sleep, 
which  I  also  tried  to  do  ;  and  in  spite  of  the  lightning, 
which  kept  my  tent  ablaze  with  light,  just  as  if  the  whole 
forest  were  on  fire,  and  the  thunder,  which  was  like  in- 
cessant artillery  close  to  my  ears,  I  dozed  off  quite  calmly. 
Not  for  long,  however,  for  presently  1  heard  the  boys  talk- 
ing wildly  together,  and  when  I  was  fully  awake  I  found 
that  the  ground  on  which  we  were  camped  was  all  flooded 
to  the  depth  of  several  inches,  and  the  bottom  of  my  tent 
was  like  a  rushing  stream.  The  two  boys  were  standing  in 
one  corner  of  the  tent,  shivering,  and  on  my  bed  was  my 
poor  little  dog  Sally,  and  a  monkey  that  had  been  given 


86 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


to  me  at  Iran<:;i,  both  curled  up  against  my  legs,  their 
little  backs  quite  wet.  We  endeavoured  to  pack  every- 
thing that  would  be  likely  to  spoil  on  to  the  table  and 
chair,  and  finally,  I  did  what  I  had  never  done  before, 
namely,  shared  my  bed  with  a  black  man.  That  is,  I 
allowed  my  two  black  boys  to  curl  themselves  up  at  the 
bottom  of  my  bed,  taking  up  as  little  room  as  possible, 
and  then,  with  my  knees  up  to  my  chin,  I  also  curled  up 
like  a  mouse  and  went  to  sleep. 

At  daybreak  I  awoke  and  looked  round  and  could  not 
help  laughing  heartily.  There  were  my  two  boys  so  much 
doubled  up  together  that  I  did  not  know  to  which  one  a 
prominent  leg  or  arm  belonged — sound  asleep.  There 
also  was  my  little  dog  cuddled  up  with  the  monkey,  both 
asleep;  and  last,  but  not  least,  was  the  rushing  stream 
of  water — by  no  means  asleep.  Everything,  including 
blankets  and  clothes,  was  wet,  and,  shivering  from  head 
to  foot,  I  slipped  into  my  marching  "  toggery  "  and  we 
set  off.  The  other  Europciin^  had  suffered  in  much  the 
same  way  as  I  had,  but  fortiuKitcly  none  of  us  were  any 
the  worse  for  it. 

And  now  every  day  we  had  to  battle  with  fresh  difficul- 
ties occasioned  by  the  rain.  Huge  districts  flooded  with 
water  through  which  we  had  to  wade,  or  else  a  tramp  of 
five  or  six  miles  through  a  thick  swamp  of  black  plastic 
mud  with  a  few  inches  of  water  on  the  top. 

Soon  after  we  had  left  camp,  a  few  days  past  Irangi,  we 
came  to  a  great  river  which  had  to  be  crossed.  I  was 
preparing  to  wade,  the  water  being  only  up  to  one's  waist, 
when  one  of  the  liead-men  came  and  offered  to  carry  me 
across.  About  half-way  he  tripped  against  a  hidden  tree 
stump  and  rolled  backwards,  putting  me  under.  I 
struggled  to  shore  like  a  drowned  rat.  x\fter  the  river  came 
a  great  plain  which  was  really  a  bog  of  thick,  black  mud, 
and  extended  for  a  mile  or  so.    I  shall  not  easily  forget  it. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


89 


The  first  difficulty  in  this  bog  was — the  donkey 
got  stuck  fast  and  it  was  only  by  literally  carrying  the 
poor  beast,  that  we  could  get  it  to  dry  ground  at  all.  It 
was  an  awful  experience,  standing  up  to  our  knees  in 
most  offensive  mud ;  the  rain  pouring  down  upon  us 
with  relentless  fury ;  and  a  poor  donkey  hopelessly  stuck 
fast.  I  too  got  fixed,  and  then  I  could  more  truly 
sympathise  with  the  donkey.  I  sank  in  the  mud  up  to 
my  thighs  and  could  not  stir  ;  Pike  and  several  of  the 
porters  finally  dragged  me  out,  but  my  joints  seemed  dis- 
located by  the  strain.  Then,  far  worse  than  this,  lying  in 
the  swamp  was  a  poor  fellow,  quite  dead,  with  just  a  green 
bough  of  a  tree  put  over  his  body  by  a  companion.  The 
poor  man  had  apparently  struggled  on  till  he  dropped.  As 
we  looked  upon  that  corpse  by  the  roadside  with  the 
green  bough  over  it,  I  think  I  never  before  realised  what 
a  solemn  thing  Death  is.  Alone,  that  soul  had  passed 
through  the  dark  valley,  so  truly  dark  to  him.  Alone  ! 
passed  from  this  world  of  sorrow^ ;  and  as  I  looked  at  the 
newly  budding  branch,  one  could  only  pray  that  this 
might  be  a  bright  simile  of  what  it  was  with  him,  a  birth 
into  a  better  life.  The  winter  of  his  darkness  over,  the 
springtime  come.  As  we  passed  the  body  a  large  black 
adder  glided  from  beside  it  and  disappeared  into  the  bush. 

We  next  came  upon  a  poor  boy,  a  porter's  slave,  who 
carried  a  small  load  of  cooking  pots  for  his  master,  Ij-ing 
in  the  mud  in  a  dying  state.  We  gave  him  what  food  we 
had  and  tried  to  urge  him  on,  but  it  was  useless.  Finally 
we  took  his  load  and  carried  it  ourselves  and  I  think  I 
never  fully  sympathised  with  our  porters  until  I  had  that 
small  load  of  cooking  pots  on  my  shoulder ;  but  the  boy 
could  not  even  walk  then,  so  we  gave  the  load  to  one  of 
our  boys  and  then  took  it  in  turns  to  carry  the  poor  little 
slave. 

At  last  we  got  through  the  swamp  and  found  one  of  the 


90 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


donke3's  waitin^'  for  us,  so  we  put  the  bo}^  on  its  back  and 
finally  reached  camp  more  dead  than  alive.  We  all 
decided  that  another  day  like  that  would  be  the  end  of  us. 

On  December  5th  we  reached  Sandawi,  a  large  populous 
district,  the  people  of  which  were  friendly  and  had  plenty 
of  food.  But  alas,  alas,  our  troubles  had  not  ceased; 
there  are  more  sad  stories  to  tell. 

K'shimba  came  to  us  in  great  excitement  and  said  that 
one  of  our  boys  had  just  come  into  camp  with  a  great 
quantity  of  food  that  he  must  have  stolen.    He  had  five 


fowls  and  a  great  lot  of  corn,  and  as  he  had  a  very  little 
cloth  for  bartering  purposes,  it  was  plain  he  had  stolen 
the  things.  Two  others  had  been  out  with  him  and  they 
had  returned  to  camp  loaded  with  all  kinds  of  good  things. 
They  readily  admitted  that  they  had  stolen  them.  The  case 
of  the  boy  was,  of  course,  the  worst.  His  master  had  trusted 
him,  and  we  all  liked  him,  but  he  had  gone  about  his  thefts 
so  deliberately  that  we  found  that  it  was  not  the  first  time. 
He  had  received  permission  from  his  master  to  go  and 
buy  food  and  he  immediately  went  into  one  of  our  tents, 


SANDAWI  NATIVES. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


91 


took  up  a  f^un  that  he  found  there,  and  as  we  afterwards 
discovered,  he  went  off  to  the  vihages  round  about  and 
said  that  the  Europeans  of  the  big  caravan  had  sent  him 
to  demand  food ;  and  in  their  fear  the  people  gave  what 
they  could.  He  was  publicly  punished  very  severely,  and 
also  the  two  porters  who  had  accompanied  him.  His 
master  also  reduced  his  position  to  that  of  donkey  boy. 

Late  the  same  night  K'shimba  came  to  us  again,  this 
time  bringing  one  of  the  under  head-men,  who  had  been 
stealing.  He  was  a  man  we  had  all  liked  because  of  his 
pleasant  though  somewhat  forward  manner.  As  a  head- 
man he  should  have  been  an  example  for  good  conduct  to 
the  rest  of  the  caravan,  and  have  done  what  he  could  to 
prevent  stealing :  and  this  was  therefore  considered  a  very 
bad  case,  and  thirty  strokes  were  awarded  as  a  punish- 
ment, in  full  view  of  the  whole  caravan.  The  stolen 
property  was  collected  and  given  back  to  the  natives. 

About  nightfall  of  the  second  day  at  Sandawi  a  porter 
came  in  w^ith  a  severe  spear  wound  on  his  head  and 
thigh,  saying  that  he  went  to  a  village  to  buy  food  and 
the  people  took  his  cloth  from  him;  and  when  he  tried 
to  recover  it  again  they  stabbed  liim  with  a  spear. 
K'shimba  and  our  whole  caravan  were  highly  indignant 
at  this  grievous  insult  and  declared  that  they  would  go 
off  and  fight  the  people  and  burn  the  village  down. 
We  restrained  them  with  some  difficulty,  for  we  ourselves 
suspected  that  the  man  had  been  trying  to  steal,  and 
had  been  speared  in  the  act,  and  had  only  received  his 
rich  deserts. 

An  investigation  was  made,  and  the  culprit  who 
speared  the  man  was  brought  to  us.  He  said  that  he 
had  been  out  hunting,  and  upon  his  return  he  found  his 
house  had  been  robbed  of  corn  by  some  of  our  porters; 
and  when  one  of  them  came  a  little  while  afterwards 
asking  to  buy  food,  he  decided  to  keep  his  cloth,  and 


92 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


he  speared  the  man  to  make  him  give  it  up.  He 
was  afterwards  told  by  the  other  villagers  that  there 
were  fom^  Europeans  in  the  caravan,  and  he  was  fright- 
ened at  what  he  had  done  and  let  the  man  go.  He 
described  to  us  most  graphically  how  he  already  con- 
sidered himself  a  dead  man,  and  how  the  head-man 
of  the  village  had  sent  him  to  be  punished  before  we 
should  fight  them  and  how  the  people  crowded  round 
him,  mourning  and  bewailing  his  expected  death.  "But," 
said  he,  ''when  I  go  back  alive,  they  will  all  be 
angry  with  me  for  making  trouble."  The  chief  gave 
five  goats  to  the  man  who  had  been  wounded  and  so 
the  matter  ended,  but  our  sympathies  were  quite  with 
the  accused. 

Again  K'shimba  had  a  difficulty;  he  came  to  us  at 
night  with  three  of  the  head-men,  all  carrying  their  guns, 
and  said  that  one  of  his  sons  together  with  four  others 
had  gone  off  to  buy  food  a  few  days  before,  and  they 
had  not  been  heard  of  since;  and  K'shimba  declared 
that  they  must  have  been  killed  by  the  natives  from 
whom  things  had  been  stolen,  so  he  wished  to  kill  the 
porters  who  had  been  stealing,  to  revenge  the  death  of  his 
son.  We  pointed  out  to  him  that  they  had  already  been 
punished,  and  told  him  not  to  think  any  more  about  it. 
He  certainly  did  not  seem  to  feel  the  loss  of  his  son  very 
keenly.  When  a  man  has  sixty  children,  as  he  says  he 
has,  one  less  or  more  can  make  but  little  difference. 
K'shimba' s  threat  to  kill  the  porters  who  had  been 
stealing,  somehow  or  other  became  known  to  the  caravan, 
and  several  of  the  culprits,  including  the  head-man  who 
had  been  beaten,  made  off  during  the  night,  so  we  were 
again  reduced  in  numbers,  and  more  shells  belonging  to 
Mr.  Stokes  had  to  be  left  behind,  so  that  the  porters 
might  carry  on  our  things,  which  were  of  the  first  im- 
portance. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


93 


In  the  middle  of  the  night  of  December  4th  an  alarm 
was  given.    K'shimba  again  came  running  to  onr  tents 
carrying  his  gun,  and  drew  our  attention  to  a  peculiar  cry 
or  shout,  apparently  about  a  mile  away,  which  he  said 
came  from  some  of  the  porters  in  danger.    He  called 
out  some  command,  and  at  once  the  various  head-men 
appeared  before  him  armed  to  the  teeth  with  guns  and 
spears.    It  was  a  great  surprise  to  us  to  see  them  come 
so  promptly,  in  answer  to  their  chief's  call,  for  it  was 
raining  heavily  at  the  time  and  was  very  dark.    He  next 
sent  these  off  in  fives,  in  various  directions,  and  in  the 
meantime  the  cries  were  getting  nearer,  and  we  certainly 
did  not  think  they  proceeded  from  men  in  much  danger. 
After  a  time  we  heard  the  head-men  coming  back,  chanting 
something  which  sounded  rather  pretty,  and  as  they  ap- 
proached us,  we  could  see  by  the  light  of  the  camp  fire 
that  they  were  dancing  and  brandishing  their  weapons, 
and  the  crowd  standing  around  us  caught  the  enthusiasm 
and  began  to  sing  and  dance  too.     At  a  word  from 
K'shimba  they  w^ere  all  quiet.    This  was  their  war-song 
and  dance.    They  had  brought  back  two  men  who  had 
been  making  cries,  one  of  them  being  K'shimba's  son 
who  was  supposed  tO'  have  been  murdered,  and  who 
said  that  they  had  been  to  buy  food,  and  at  one  village 
they  were  captured  and  tied  up  as  thieves,  and  threat- 
ened with  death,  but  they  had  escaped.    Of  course  the 
great  K'shimba  made  a  few  remarks  about  going  to 
fight  the  people  who  had  dared  to  tie  up  two  Wanyam- 
wezi  warriors,  but  soon  altered  his  mind  ;  and  I  do  not 
think  there  was  much  fight  in  them  for  all  their  war 
dances. 

Our  march  on  December  11th  was  much  delayed  by  a 
long  consultation  between  K'shimba  and  ourselves,  and 
the  chief  of  tlie  village  we  had  left  the  day  before.  A 
message  had  come  from  the  people  of  the  district  Turu, 


94 


m  DWARF  LAND. 


which  we  were  to  enter  the  following  day,  to  the  effect 
that  they  would  not  let  us  go  that  way,  but  were  prepared 
to  fight  us  if  we  attempted  it.  To  avoid  their  country  we 
should  have  been  obliged  to  go  a  long  way  round,  adding 
five  days  to  our  journey,  and  taking  us  through  unin- 
habited parts ;  as  the  men  were  already  short  of  food,  it 
wmild  have  been  a  serious  matter,  and  in  all  probability 


YOUNG  OSTEICH. 


we  should  have  lost  a  number  of  our  men.  Finally  the 
chief  of  the  village  we  had  just  left,  agreed  to  go  and 
persuade  the  people  of  Turn  to  let  us  pass.  On  his 
return  he  bade  us,  in  the  name  of  the  Turu  people,  to 
enter  their  country  without  fear,  and  so  we  started.  We 
took  every  precaution  to  keep  the  caravan  together  as  the 
path  led  through  a  thick  jungle,  and  we  feared  treachery. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


95 


Presently  we  emerged  from  the  jungle  and  at  once  saw 
a  great  extent  of  country  thickly  covered  with  villages, 
large  and  small.  We  made  our  way  towards  one  of 
the  largest  of  these,  and  here  we  only  saw  the  armed 
warriors  and  none  of  the  women.  After  a  little  while 
they  grew  friendly,  and  by  interpretation  we  were  able 
to  chat  with  the  chief  and  he  was  quite  pleased,  and 
brought  us  presents  of  corn  and  flour,  as  a  proof  of 
his  friendship.  They  told  us  we  were  the  first  white 
people  they  had  ever  seen  and  they  therefore  greatly 
feared  us.  The  chief  informed  us  that  he  had  received 
a  message  from  a  native  a  few  days  before,  telling  him 
that  four  white  men  were  coming  to  fight  him,  but 
that  if  he  would  send  two  tusks  of  ivory  to  him  he 
would  be  able  to  stop  them  from  coming.  This  he  had 
done,  but  the  white  men  had  come  for  all  that.  We  were 
much  struck  by  the  appearance  of  this  race  of  people, 
tall,  active  looking  men,  with  most  intelligent  faces. 
Their  dress  (or  undress)  was  peculiar,  and  seemed  to 
consist  of  a  few  bracelets  on  their  arms.  All  the  women 
wore  large  ornaments  in  the  lobe  of  their  ears,  and  also  a 
few  of  the  men.  There  w^as  an  abundance  of  food  in  this 
district,  and  all  the  time  we  were  there  the  natives  were 
bringing  supplies  into  camp  wliich  the  porters  bought 
with  their  "  posho  "  cloth. 

We  had  several  hunting  expeditions  while  the  porters 
collected  food  for  themselves,  and  we  were  fairly  successful. 

A  number  of  the  porters  died  at  this  place  from  eating 
a  poisonous  root  that  they  gathered  in  the  district.  We 
warned  them  when  we  saw  them  eating  it,  but  it  was  of 
no  avail,  and  in  one  day  eight  men  died  and  several 
became  alarmingly  ill.  They  told  us  that  it  was  a  root 
that  made  them  strong  for  work,  and  better  able  to 
march.    Alas!  it  proved  too  strong  for  them. 

At  Mongula,  a  large  town  that  we  reached  on  December 


96 


IX  DIVARF  LAND. 


'23rd,  we  left  behind  fifty-five  loads,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
proceed  more  quickly  to  Xasa. 

Christmas  Day  came  and  went  as  any  other  day, 
excepting  that  we  devoured  a  plum  pudding,  brought 
out  from  England  by  one  of  our  party,  but  it  was  a 
sorry  dinner  party.  We  tried  to  look  happy,  but  it  was 
almost  a  failure.  Our  tents  were  pitched  inside  a 
large  village  which  had  a  rough  sort  of  stockade  all 
round  it,  and  it  was  well  for  us  that  we  did  pitch  them 
there,  for  all  kinds  of  wdld  beasts  roamed  about  at  night. 
Our  constant  visitors  were  wild  sort  of  people  who  sat 
and  gazed  upon  us  with  the  utmost  astonishment. 
They  told  us  they  had  never  seen  white  people  before. 
These  were  our  surroundings  on  Christmas  Day.  All 
four  of  us  were  a  little  unwell,  and  the  strain  of  the 
journey  and  the  privations  which  we  had  so  long  been 
suffering,  were  beginning  to  tell  upon  us ;  and  we  each 
had  constant  attacks  of  fever,  dysentery,  kc.  Even  on 
Christmas  Day  w^e  w^ere  obliged  to  march,  although  it 
w^as  only  for  two  hours,  the  constant  stoppages  seemed 
to  demoralise  our  porters,  the  inevitable  result  being 
that  they  would  go  off  to  the  villages,  stealing  whatever 
they  could  lay  their  hands  upon. 

We  had  to  cross  several  huge  plains  after  leaving 
Mongula,  and  upon  these  roamed  game  of  various  kinds. 
It  was  upon  one  of  these  plains  that  I  saw^  a  great  many 
rhinoceros ;  ostriches  also  in  large  numbers ;  buffalo 
and  antelope ;  but  the  spirit  was  getting  knocked  out 
of  us,  and  we  no  longer  cared  to  go  off  hunting  after 
a  long  weary  march  during  the  heat  of  the  day. 
Walking  before  the  caravan  we  often  came  close  up 
with  zebra  and  antelope,  and  then  a  shot  or  tw^o  was 
fired,  but  it  usually  meant  that  we  did  not  leave  the 
path  to  follow  up  the  wounded  game ;  and  unless  the 
animals  were  shot  in  a  vital  part  to  cause  instant  death, 
nothing  resulted. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


97 


On  one  of  the  plains  of  which  I  have  spoken  there  was 
a  quantity  of  water,  and  for  several  hours  we  were 
wading  through  this  :  sometimes  up  to  our  knees,  and 
in  the  middle,  right  up  to  our  waists.  The  water 
seemed  to  be  the  result  of  a  flood,  for  it  was  very  muddy 
and  did  not  rise  above  the  top  of  the  long  spear-grass, 
and  the  bottom  was  very  soft  and  slippery,  which  made 
walking  very  difficult,  and  many  a  struggle  w^e  had  to 
keep  our  perpendicular. 

For  our  porters,  of  course,  it  was  far  more  trying,  for 
they  had  been  in  the  habit  of  resting  every  half-hour  or 
oftener,  and  now  to  have  to  walk  on  and  on  for  close  upon 
four  hours  through  water  without  any  rest  was  more  than 
we  expected  them  to  be  able  to  accomplish.  Our  greatest 
fear  w^as  lest  they  should  slip  and  let  our  precious  loads 
into  the  w^ater,  but  with  one  exception  all  came  through 
without  a  soaking. 

As  soon  as  we  were  on  dry  land  again  we  called 
a  halt  and  rested  for  half  an  hour,  and  then  proceeded 
to  camp,  another  two  hours  further  on.  There  was 
no  village,  and  we  pitched  our  tents  on  the  open  plain. 

The  New  Year  was  ushered  in  by  a  great  thunderstorm, 
which  seemed  to  burst  upon  us  in  fury.  Such  a  deluge 
of  rain  I  had  never  seen  ;  the  whole  surrounding  country 
was  soon  under  water,  and  the  small  streams  became 
rushing  rivers.  Two  of  us  were  down  with  fever,  and 
we  still  had  a  long  way  to  go,  and  to  cross  the  now 
swollen  rivers  was  by  no  means  an  easy  task.  Sometimes 
balancing  ourselves  upon  a  tree  that  had  fallen  across 
the  stream,  at  others  holding  on  to  some  kind  nigger  who 
tried  to  help  us,  and  yet  again  wading  breast-high  into 
the  swollen  tide — none  of  these  things  tended  to  improve 
our  state  of  health,  and  it  became  very  serious. 

We  reached  Kakora  on  the  8rd  of  January,  and  here 
more  of  our  men  deserted.    We  were  then  on  the  out- 

8 


98 


IN  DWARF  LA.XD. 


skirts  of  the  Wanyamwezi  country,  and  this  accounted 
for  it.  The  district  was  thickly  populated,  and  K'shimba 
did  his  best  to  secure  fresh  men  to  take  their  places. 

But  at  this  place  I  began  to  lose  interest  in  everything ; 
life  seemed  a  burden,  fever  burning  the  spirit  out  of  me. 
I  w^as  too  feeble  to  walk.  Fortunately  my  donkey  was 
still  in  the  land  of  the  living,  and  he  carried  me  along 
many  a  weary  mile.     My  companions  too  were  in  a 


CHIEF  OF  NERA  AND  WIVES. 


similar  condition  to  myself,  and  we  did  all  we  could  to 
help  each  other. 

On  January  9th  letters  came  to  us  from  Messrs. 
Nickisson  and  Gordon,  C.M.S.  missionaries,  stationed  at 
Nasa,  at  the  south  of  the  Victoria  Lake,  saying  that 
they  were  coming  to  meet  us,  and  we  expected  to  see 
them  the  next  day. 

When  we  got  to  Nera,  which  turned  out  to  be 
K'shimba's  native  place,  great  crowds  of  gaudily  dressed 


LY  DWARF  LAXD. 


99 


women  came  rushing  to  meet  our  head-man  and  the  few 
smwiving  porters.  There  was  great  rejoicing.  Alas  I  we 
could  not  enter  into  it,  and  heartily  wished  that  the 
yelling  crowds  would  disperse  and  leave  us  in  peace. 
K'shimba  brought  us  his  wives  to  gaze  upon,  a  comely 
set  of  women,  about  ten  in  all,  but  far  too  noisy  for  our 
shattered  nerves  that  day.  The  chief  of  Nera  and  all  his 
attendants  also  came  to  visit  us  and  presented  us  with 
various  gifts  of  good  things.  He  did  not  impress  us  as 
being  a  very  intelligent  specimen  of  humanity,  nor  did 
his  wives,  who  accompanied  him  :  but  perhaps  it  was 
through  ignorance  of  native  character  that  we  failed  to 
see  their  good  qualities. 

It  was  January  lOtli  at  noonday  that  once  more  we 
looked  an  Englishman  in  the  face.  It  was  a  great  treat 
again  to  see  white  faces  and  to  feel  that  our  journey 
was  now  nearly  over.  Messrs.  Gordon  and  Nickisson, 
according  to  their  promise,  met  us  at  Xera,  and  at  once 
attended  to  those  of  us  who  were  sick,  and  continually 
contrived  some  new  scheme  for  our  comfort. 

I  was  \)\\t  into  a  hammock  and  carried  the  rest  of  the 
way ;  tlie  others  either  rode  donkeys  or  were  likewise 
carried.  It  was  only  four  days'  march  from  Xera  to 
Xasa,  but  it  seemed  to  us  the  longest  part  of  the  journey. 
Every  movement  or  jolt  of  the  hammock  in  which  I  lay 
caused  me  frightful  pain  as  with  parched  lips  and 
throbbing  head  I  was  trotted  along  on  the  backs  of 
two  stalwart  Wanyamwezi  porters.  Once  they  dropped 
me,  but  it  seemed  delightful  to  again  reach  solid  earth, 
and  I  rolled  over  in  my  hammock  and  went  to  sleep,  only 
to  be  aroused  by  the  constant  bump  of  the  hammock  as 
the  carriers  changed  the  pole,  on  which  it  was  slung,  from 
shoulder  to  shoulder. 

But  rest  came  at  last,  thank  God!  Xo  one  ever 
needed   it   more   than   we    did.     AVe   were    sick  and 


TOO 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


tired  of  camp  life,  our  provisions  were  running  very 
short,  and  the  constant  worry  with  the  porters  had  driven 
aU  the  phick  out  of  us.  I  was  told  by  K'shimba  that  out 
of  the  five  hundred  porters  who  started  from  Zanzibar 
with  us,  not  more  than  twenty-five  arrived  at  Nasa. 
Many  had  deserted,  and  many,  alas !  had  died,  and  the 
greatest  wonder  was  that  ever  we  reached  Nasa  at  all. 


C.3I.S.  MISSION  STATION,  NASA. 


But  get  there  we  did,  and  I  shall  not  soon  forget  the 
feeling  of  real  rest  wdien  I  was  lifted  from  my  hammock, 
and  gently  laid  upon  a  comfortable  bed  in  a  nice  clean 
house  in  the  Mission  compound  at  Nasa,  and  at  first  I 
almost  w^ept  with  delight  at  the  strange  sensation  of 
comfort.  But  I  was  soon  fast  asleep,  absolutely  content 
to  sleep  on. 

The  Mission  premises  at  Nasa  are  stationed  about  a 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


lOI 


mile  from  the  lake  shore,  and  command  a  most  extensive 
and  magnificent  view  of  the  lake,  and  surrounding  country. 
There  are  three  European  houses,  a  church,  kitchens, 
and  outhouses,  all  substantially  built  of  "  wattle  and 
daub."  A  beautiful  garden  in  front  of  the  buildings 
supplied  the  occupants  of  the  station  with  fresh 
vegetables  and  fruit.  At  the  back  was  a  large  cow 
kraal,  and  there  were  plenty  of  cows.  Oh,  the  luxury 
of  fresh  milk  to  us  who  for  three  and  a  half  months  had 
been  living  upon  tinned  milk  of  a  very  inferior  quality  ! 


K.VPONGO,  CHIEF  OF  NASA. 


I  am  afraid  that  while  we  were  at  Xasa  w^e  caused  our 
good  friends,  Messrs.  Gordon,  Nickisson,*  and  Hubbard,* 
much  trouble  in  nursing  us.  The  leader  of  our  caravan, 
Kev.  A.  J.  Pike,  after  suffering  from  fever  and  other 
shght  but  none  the  less  trying  complaints,  had  a  very 
severe  attack  of  rheumatism,  which  rendered  him  quite 
helpless.  Rev.  G.  R.  Blackledge  and  Mr.  Lewin  had  con- 
siderably recovered  from  their  indisposition  upon  their 
arrival  at  Nasa,  and  a  few  days'  rest  put  them  all  right. 

*  Nickisson  died  June  28,  189G  ;  Hubbard  died  March  9,  1897. 


I02 


IN  nUWRF  LAND. 


Personally  I  suffered  a  great  deal,  for  even  when  I  had 
got  rid  of  the  fever  and  dysentery,  pleurisy  again  laid 
me  low. 

Yet  in  spite  of  all  the  worry  we  must  have  caused  our 
brethren  by  our  constant  need  of  attention,  with  true 
Christian  brotherly  kindness  they  did  everything  in  their 
power  to  help  us,  and  never  once  complained.  On 
February  1st  two  of  our  number  were  able  to  proceed 


NATIVE  LOOM,  USUKUMA. 


across  the  lake  by  canoe  to  Uganda — Eev.  A.  J.  Pike  and 
Mr.  Lewin.  I  was  still  too  unwell  to  be  moved,  and  Mr. 
Blackledge  kindly  offered  to  wait  until  I  was  sufficiently 
recovered  to  make  the  journey  across. 

During  my  stay  at  Nasa  I  had  an  opportunity  of 
examining  some  of  the  cloth  made  by  the  natives  with 
their  own  loom.  I  was  surprised  to  find  of  what  com- 
paratively good  quality  it  was,  and,  considering  the  rough 
instruments  that  had  been  used,  it  was  difficult  to  under- 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


103 


stand  how  it  was  possible  to  get  such  good  results.  The 
whole  process  is  done  by  hand,  and  requires  immense 
patience,  but  as  a  rule  an  African  is  not  deficient  in  that 
quality ;  time  is  nothing  to  him  ;  to-morrow  or  next  year 
are  as  good  as  to-day,  and  if  you  worry  him  he  will  often 
reply,  "  The  whole  of  my  life  is  before  me." 

On  February  19th  I  was  well  enough  to  start,  and 
although  I  had  to  be  carried   down   to  the  boat  on 


KEADY  TO  EMBARK  ON  VICTORIA  NYANZA.  ' 


account  of  excessive  weakness,  I  soon  regained  strength 
while  on  that  magnificent  inland  sea,  the  Victoria 
Nyanza.  Five  canoes  were  procured  for  us.  They  were 
of  very  different  construction  from  what  one  expected. 
Instead  of  the  ordinary  African  dug-out  canoe,  which 
hitherto  we  had  seen,  there  was  a  large,  well-shaped 
craft  varying  from  15  to  50  feet  in  length  by  3  to  5 
feet  beam — long  planks  neatly  sewn  together  with  a 
tough  creeper  that  grows  on  the  lake  shores.    The  keel 


I04 


/.V  PJVARF  LA  AW. 


is  composed  of  a  solid  piece  of  wood  carved  into  shape, 
and  protruding  some  6  feet  in  the  bow  of  the  boat. 
Upon  this  are  fixed  the  horns  of  some  antelope,  and  a 
quantity  of  plaited  grass  to  give  an  ornamental  appearance 
to  the  wdiole.  They  wwe  painted  red,  and  were  decidedly 
fine-looking  boats.  Thej^  wxre  propelled  by  a  nmnber  of 
boatmen  with  small  paddles  with  leaf-shaped  blades  ; 
some  of  the  boats  contained  twenty  or  even  thirty  boat- 
men ;  and  we  were  much  surprised  at  the  great  speed 
that  could  be  attained. 

Into  the  stern  of  the  boat  were  placed  our  hammock 
chairs,  and  with  an  umbrella  to  shade  us  from  the  sun, 
nothing  could  have  been  more  pleasant  to  us  who  had 
been  toiling  along  over  hill  and  dale  for  three  and  a  half 
weary  months.  Being  the  rainy  season,  we  had  constant 
storms  :  and  they  always  came  on  so  suddenly  that  we  had 
to  be  most  careful  not  to  get  too  far  from  land,  for  although 
in  calm  water  the  canoes  are  seaworthy  enough,  w^hen 
the  waves  begin  to  dash  with  violence  against  them,  they 
are  most  unsafe  ;  it  is  not  at  all  an  uncommon  thing  for 
these  canoes  to  break  to  pieces.  It  will  easily  be  seen 
that  the  fibre  which  holds  the  planks  of  the  canoe  to- 
gether, must  get  rotten  in  time,  and  if  it  gives  way,  the 
whole  thing  tumbles  to  pieces  at  once. 

The  boatmen  were  Wasese,  and  live  on  the  islands  to 
the  north  of  the  lake ;  they  were  most  kind  and  attentive 
to  us,  and  did  all  they  could  for  our  comfort,  especially 
for  me  during  my  weakness.  There  is  a  kind  heart 
beats  under  the  dark  skin  of  many  an  African,  low  and 
degraded  as  he  may  be  in  his  habits  of  life,  his  manhood 
will  come  out,  and  will  easily  be  seen  by  those  who  look 
for  it.  I  have  been  both  surprised  and  delighted  to  find 
this  true.  There  was  a  time  when  I  did  not  believe  an 
African  capable  of  any  kind  of  goodness ;  I  was  sadly 
mistaken,  and  I  am  glad  I  have  lived  to  find  out  my 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


T05 


mistake.  He  is  not  appealed  to  by  rough  blows  and  hard 
words,  these  only  make  him  the  more  a  savage,  but  he  is 
softened  and  moved  by  kindness  and  his  own  heart 
reciprocates  it ;  and  happy  is  the  traveller  in  Africa  who 
learns  this  lesson,  before  he  has  steeled  himself  against  it. 

The  boxes  of  provisions  needed  for  the  voyage  were 
taken  with  us  in  our  canoes,  while  the  rest  were  left  to 
follow  later  on  in  other  boats.  Each  day  we  started 
about  6  a.m.  and  pitched  our  tents  on  some  island  of  the 
lake  about  3  p.m.  in  the  afternoon.  The  scenery  was 
magnificent,  some  of  the  islands  being  thick  with  tropical 
vegetation,  while  others  were  wild  and  rocky  and  desolate 
looking,  but  each  had  a  grandeur  of  its  own. 

There-  were  great  numbers  of  water  fowl  on  the  lake, 
and  we  lived  almost  entirely  upon  them.  Spur- winged 
geese,  Egyptian  geese,  and  small  black  and  white  ducks 
abounded,  and  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  shoot 
sufficient  for  our  need.  Black  and  white  "  divers  "  went 
about  in  clouds ;  w^e  also  saw  pelicans,  egrets,  cranes,  and 
numerous  species  of  water  hens.  Crocodiles  basking  on 
the  rocks  in  the  sun,  and  huge  hippopotami  floundering 
about  in  the  water,  frequently  putting  their  great  ugly 
snouts  out  of  the  water  to  gaze  at  us  as  we  passed. 
The  boatmen  are  afraid  of  them,  and  they  told  us  that 
there  was  great  danger  of  a  hippopotamus  charging  down 
upon  the  boat  with  open  mouth  ;  and  they  had  been 
known  to  bite  the  canoe  in  two. 

Our  first  camp  was  at  Nafa,  a  small  island  near  the 
mouth  of  Speke  gulf.  The  people  were  not  particularly 
friendly,  but  did  not  trouble  us,  as  we  left  in  the  early 
morning  for  Ukerewe.  It  was  at  this  place  that 
Mr.  Stokes,  the  English  trader,  had  his  headquarters. 
A  splendid  house  built  of  burnt  bricks  facing  the 
lake,  the  grounds  beautifully  laid  out  with  European 
vegetables. 


io6 


/.V  DWARF  LAND. 


The  caretaker  kindly  allowed  us  to  spend  the  night  in 
the  house,  and  I  was  shown  into  Mr.  Stokes'  own  room 
and  slept  upon  his  bed.  It  was  a  strange  coincidence 
that  just  about  that  time  Mr.  Stokes,  away  there  in  the 
Congo  Free  State,  met  with  his  death  at  the  hands  of 
inhuman  men,  for,  to  put  the  matter  in  as  mild  a  form 
as  possible,  his  execution  by  the  Belgians  w^as  an  act  of 


UKEEEWE,  chief's  ENCLOSURE. 


inhuman  cruelty.  For  a  solitary  Englishman  to  be 
murdered  by  another  European,  right  away  in  the  very 
heart  of  Africa,  with  no  proper  trial,  and  but  a  mock 
investigation  into  the  charges  made  against  him,  appears 
to  me  to  be  one  of  the  most  dastardly  deeds  that  could  be 
perpetrated  by  a  civilised  being.  I  believe  Mr.  Stokes 
was  an  honest  trader,  legitimately  procuring  the  ivory 
from  the  country,  he  was  thoroughly  respected  by  the 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


109 


natives  wherever  he  went,  and  one  never  heard  him 
spoken  unkindly  of  by  any  one.  The  fact  is,  in  that  part 
of  the  country  there  were  two  opposite  forces  at  work ; 
both  were  traders ;  the  one  procured  his  ivory  by  fair  and 
honourable  means,  the  other  simply  got  it  at  any  cost 
whatever  to  the  poor  sable  son  of  Africa,  and  one  cannot 
but  suggest  that  jealousy  was  at  the  bottom  of  that 
atrocious  act,  which  stirred  up  so  much  indignation  in 
England  and  elsewhere. 

It  is  w^ell  known  that  the  Belgian  officer  on  the  Congo 
is  simply  a  commission  agent,  wdio,  for  every  pound  of 
ivory  and  every  pound  of  rubber,  gets  a  percentage,  and 
there  are  many  unscrupulous  fellows  who  are  sent  out  as 
officers  of  the  State  wffio  will  not  let  anything  stand  in 
their  way  of  procuring  these  things.  Hence,  if  an  honest 
trader  comes  upon  the  scene,  the  natives  gladly  bring 
to  him  their  ivory,  kc,  knowing  that  they  will  get  a  fair 
equivalent  for  it,  and  thus  jealousy  is  caused. 

On  the  island  of  Ukerewe  are  great  numbers  of  snakes. 
While  there  I  saw^  several,  and  one  very  large  one  was 
killed  a  few^  weeks  before  which  took  four  men  to  carry. 
It  was  a  large  boa  constrictor,  and,  although  its  bite  is 
not  poisonous,  its  strength  is  so  great  as  to  crush  the  life 
out  of  the  strongest. 

We  had  one  rather  narrow  escape  after  we  left  Ukerewe. 
The  water  was  a  little  rough,  and  a  strong  wind  was 
blowing.  Our  boatmen  begged  us  not  to  proceed  that 
day,  but  we  insisted  upon  doing  so.  W^e  had  to 
cross  a  large  expanse  of  water  to  get  again  to  the 
mainland,  and  when  about  half  w^ay  a  regular  hurri- 
cane came  on.  The  boatmen  lost  heart  and  threw 
down  their  paddles,  and  cried,  "Oh,  we're  dead;  we're 
dead!"  The  water  was  beginning  to  rush  into  the 
boat,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  treinendous  force  of  the 
waves  dashing  against  the  canoe  would  soon  break  it 


I  lO 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


to  pieces.  It  was  only  by  picking  up  the  paddles,  and 
putting  them  to  rather  different  purposes  than  those  for 
which  they  were  originally  intended,  that  I  was  able  at 
last  to  make  the  men  realise  that  there  was  still  a 
chance,  xlfter  receiving  from  me  a  smart  wdiack  or 
two,  they  seized  their  own  paddles  once  more  and  pulled 
for  all  they  were  worth,  making  for  the  shore,  which 
was  but  a  few  miles  distant,  although   it    w^as  only 


STOEM  ON  VICTOllIA  NYANZA. 


occasionally  that  we  got  a  glimpse  of  it  on  account  of  the 
blinding  rain.  When  at  last  we  got  to  shore  our  boat 
w^as  nearly  half  full  of  water. 

On  the  '24th  of  February  we  camped  on  an  island 
called  Nswaswa,  a  most  lovely  spot.  It  receives  its 
name  from  the  w^ater  lizard,  and  the  whole  island  seemed 
alive  with  these  creatures.  They  are  quite  harmless, 
and  are  much  appreciated  by  the  Wasese  as  a  luxurious 
dainty.    The  island  was  absolutely  uninhabited,  and  only 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


1 1 1 


about  a  mile  in  diameter,  but  is  one  of  the  prettiest  of 
them  all. 

From  Nswaswa  we  had  four  days'  row  to  the  German 
station  on  the  west  of  the  lake,  called  Bukoba.  The 
houses  of  the  Europeans  were  by  far  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  the  best  built  of  any  that  we  had  seen  in 
Africa.  All  were  built  of  bricks  and  were  very  lofty,  w^ell- 
ventilated  places.  They  were  enclosed  by  a  high  brick 
wall  with  loopholes  and  window^s,  at  the  four  corners  of 
which  w^ere  bastions  for  seven  pounders  and  Maxims, 
making  it  an  almost  impregnable  position.    We  were 

kindly  received  by  the  officer  in  charge,  Lieut.  E  , 

and  by  Dr.  M  ,  the  medical  officer  of  the  station. 

The  soldiers  employed  were  draw^n  from  many  nationali- 
ties— Soudanese,  Manyema,  Wasukuma,  Wanyamw^ezi, 
and  a  few  Swahili.  They  w^ere  a  fine  set  of  men,  w^ell 
drilled  and  nicely  equipped  with  brown  kaki  uniforms  and 
leather  accoutrements. 

The  officer  in  charge  asked  us  to  put  up  in  one  of  the 
houses  in  the  fort,  but  as  we  wished  to  start  early  in  the 
morning  we  declined  to  do  so.  However,  we  dined  with 
the  officers,  and  a  right  jovial  meal  we  liad  together. 

Before  dinner  Lieut.  K  gave  us  an  exhibition  of 

pistol  shooting  which  impressed  us  ver}^  much.  At  forty 
yards  he  hit  a  G-in.  bull  three  times  out  of  four,  and 
repeated  the  feat  several  times.  He  also  showed  us  his 
various  trophies  of  the  chase,  including  a  fine  collection 
of  rhinoceros'  and  antelopes'  horns.  There  wxre  also 
some  parrots,  a  chained  eagle,  and  a  few  species  of  wild 
fowl  in  the  fort.  And  of  course  the  inevitable  monkey 
and  the  scavenger  dog. 

Very  early  the  following  morning  we  were  all  aroused 
by  a  terrific  gale.  Our  tents  were  pitched  by  the  lake 
shore  and  the  pegs  were  driven  into  the  sand,  and  when 
tlie  stormy  wmds  began  to  blow^  with  all  their  fury  our 


I  12 


IX  DWARF  LAND. 


tents  swayed  about  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  us 
expect  to  be  blown  away.  I  jumped  out  of  bed  and  clung 
to  my  tent-pole,  with  all  the  strength  I  could  command ; 
peg  after  peg  gave  way,  and  disaster  seemed  inevitable. 
I  never  experienced  anything  hke  the  violence  of  this 
storm.  My  companion's  tent  could  not  withstand  it,  and 
down  it  came,  exposing  the  poor  sleepy  occupant  to  the 
rain  and  wind. 


VIEW  ON  SESE  ISLANDS. 


The  boys  very  readily  helped  to  hold  up  my  tent  and 
re-build  Blackledge's.  After  about  half  an  hour  the 
storm  abated.  Never  shall  I  forget  that  day :  thunder 
and  lightning  such  as  I  had  never  before  thought  pos- 
sible ;  wind  and  rain  such  as  one  had  never  dreamed  of. 

March  2nd  brought  us  to  the  first  of  the  Sese  Islands, 
and  we  then  found  how  thoroughly  kind-hearted  the 
Wasese  are.  They  brought  us  all  sorts  of  presents,  and 
did  not  even  wait  to  receive  anything  in  return.  One 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


113 


man,  chief  of  a  small  island,  gave  me  a  large  goat  and  a 
great  quantity  of  food.  I  asked  him  how  it  was  he  could 
afford  such  a  big  present.  He  simply  said:  "You  are 
one  of  the  great  white  masters  and  you  will  need  the 
food."  To  all  strangers  it  is  the  same  with  the  Wasese ; 
they  are  not  wealthy  and  only  exist  by  their  fishing,  but 
for  all  that  they  are  most  kind  and  hospitable  to  visitors. 
On  one  of  the  Sese  Islands  I  had  rather  a  startling 


WASESE  FISHERMEN. 


adventure.  I  was  walking  by  the  shore  gathering  some 
very  pretty  flowers,  when  my  eye  was  arrested  by  some 
movement  in  one  of  the  bushes  about  fifty  yards  from 
the  water.  I  went  up  to  the  bush  and  peeped  in,  thinking 
it  might  be  a  water  lizard  or  some  kind  of  bird.  I  pressed 
forward  right  into  the  bush,  when  suddenly  there  rushed 
out  upon  me  a  huge  crocodile  with  mouth  wide  open.  I 
jumped  on  one  side  only^jii^t  in  time,  and  then  it  made 
off  down  to  the  water.  These  horrible  reptiles  do  constant 

9 


114 


JN  DWARF  LAND. 


damage  aiiiongst  tlie  inhabitants  of  the  island;  at  one 
place  1  visited  a  man  was  taken  from  the  bank  and  never 
heard  of  or  seen  again,  and  the  next  day  a  cow  also  was 
dragged  down  into  the  water  by  a  crocodile  and  lost. 

On  March  6th  we  arrived  at  Ntebe,  which  was  then 
the  headquarters  of  the  military  forces  of  Uganda ;  from 
this  place  to  Mengo  is  twenty-three  miles  by  road,  and 
would  take  about  two  days  by  boat.  We  made  up  our 
minds  to  proceed  by  boat,  starting  at  about  12.30,  mid- 
night, to  arrive  in  Mengo  the  next  day  at  noon.  We  got  up 


DEAD  HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


and  had  breakfast,  pulled  our  tents  down  and  packed  up, 
and  then  began  to  hunt  up  the  boatmen.  To  our  astonish- 
ment we  found  they  had  disappeared.  We  searched  about 
in  the  cold,  looking  everywhere,  and  were  beginning  to 
give  up  all  hope  of  starting  before  daw^n  when  my  head 
boatman  came  to  me  and,  in  a  most  miserable  tone,  told 
me  we  should  all  die  in  the  night.  I  laughed  at  him  and 
ordered  him  to  fetch  the  men,  and  then  bundled  into  the 
boat.  It  was  then  an  hour  before  dawn,  and  was  very 
dark  and  a  sky  like  ink,  and  on  the  horizon  before  us  was 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


115 


a  cloud  which  told  of  a  severe  storm  coming  ap.  We  had 
not  gone  far  when  it  burst  in  all  its  fury  upon  us.  The 
boat  in  which  I  was  had  been  very  shaky  during  the 
voyage  and  so  we  immediately  put  into  a  small  un- 
inhabited island.  I  jumped  out  on  to  land,  having  a 
lantern  with  me,  and  discovered  a  little  cave  where  we 
could  shelter  from  the  rain.  I  crept  in  and  was  about  to 
sit  down  upon  what  appeared  to  me  to  be  a  large  boulder, 
when  I  saw  the  boulder  move,  and  up  jumped  a  hippo- 
potamus. It  nearly  knocked  me  over  in  its  headlong 
flight  to  the  water,  into  which  it  disappeared. 

The  storm  passed  over  and  w^e  passed  on,  and  by 
twelve  o'clock  noon  we  were  at  Munyonyo,  the  port  for 
Mengo. 


PART  II 

UGANDA.    THE  SOUDAXESE  WAB 


CHAPTER  YI 

UGANDA 

Our  entrance  into  ]\Iengo — The  four  hills  of  ^Nlengo — Kampala — The  British 
Government  of  Uganda — Troubles  from  without — Missionary  occupa- 
tions— Native  customs — The  ^Yaganda — Woman's  position — Mission- 
ary efforts — Loyalty  of  the  native  Christians  -Medical  work — The 
chief  dresser  —  Native  industries  —  Iron-working  — Wood-working  — 
Pottery — Basket  work — The  bark  cloth — The  native  market — Efforts 
to  catch  zebra. 

MENGO,  the  capital  of  Uganda  is  about  seven  miles 
from  the  lake  shore,  and  this  would  have  been  rather 
a  stiff  walk  for  one  who  had  so  lately  recovered  from  fever 
and  pleurisy.  Fortunately  our  requirements  had  been 
anticipated,  and  a  pony,  belonging  to  the  notorious  king 
Mwanga,  was  brought  to  me  with  his  permission.  I 
was  delighted  to  have  this  assistance  into  Mengo.  As 
we  approached  the  capital  we  were  much  impressed  by  its 
imposing  position  and  by  the  good  style  of  the  native 
houses.  Those  we  had  seen  on  our  journey  up-country  had 
been  of  such  a  very  inferior  type,  but  these  were  fine  lofty 
dwellings,  with  beautiful  fences  built  all  round  them, 
enclosing  the  gardens.    They  were  constructed  with  the 

116 


AV  DWARF  LAXn. 


II/ 


reeds  from  the  tiger  grass  which  grows  in  great  abundance 
in  the  country,  and  thatched  with  the  coarse  spear  grass 
cahed  "senki."  The  roads  were  w^ide  and  well  kept, 
with  a  fence  on  either  side. 

The  capital  is  built  upon  four  distinct  hills,  called 
respectiveh^  Mengo,  Kubaga,  Xamirembe,  and  Kam- 
pala. Mengo  being  the  hill  upon  which  the  king's 
house  is  built,  the  capital  takes  its  name  from  that. 
Eubaga  is  the  hill  on  which  stands  the  Eoman  Catholic 


MEN  CO. 


Mission  ;  Namirembe,  the  Protestant  Mission  ;  and  Kam- 
pala, the  Government  fort. 

The  king's  house,  or  perhaps  we  should  say  palace,  is 
a  large  two-storied  building,  made  entirely  of  reeds,  and 
thatched  with  grass.  At  the  back  are  the  houses  of  his 
wives,  and  in  a  separate  enclosure  those  of  his  pages  and 
other  dependants. 

The  whole  crest  of  the  hill  is  surrounded  by  a  huge 
reed  fence,  some  15  feet  high,  forming  a  complete  circle. 
This  fence  is  perhaps  two  and  a  half  miles  in  length,  and 
it  contains  various  entrances  to  the  king's  enclosure,  or 


ii8 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


Lubiri  as  it  is  called,  each  one  being  guarded  by  a  couple 
of  men  who  act  as  sentries,  and  whose  little  huts  are  built 
just  outside  the  large  fence. 

Eubaga  used  to  be  the  hill  occupied  by  the  King  of 
Uganda,  but  when  he  left,  and  built  on  Mengo  hill,  the 
French  Eoman  Catholic  priests  took  up  their  abode 
there,  and  they  have  erected  a'.very  beautiful  station ;  a 
high  brick  wall  or  fort,  surrounds  the  whole. 

On  Namirembe,  which  is  the  highest  of  the  four  hills, 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  in  Uganda  has  its  head- 


IXTERIOK  OF  MENGO  CATHEDRAL. 


quarters,  consisting  of  a  large  imposing  church  or  cathedral 
built  on  the  summit,  and  a  number  of  reed  houses  scattered 
about  the  hill,  which  are  occupied  by  the  missionaries. 

The  Cathedral  from  the  outside  has  the  appearance  of 
a  large  barn,  and  inside  that  of  a  pine  forest,  there  being 
about  tlu'ee  hundred  poles  supporting  the  roof.  It  is  by 
no  means  an  elaborate  building,  but  answers  its  purpose, 
providing  room  for  about  three  thousand  five  hundred 
people,  and  the  natives  of  Uganda  are  not  slow  in  avail- 
ing themselves  of  the  privilege  of  attending  the  services, 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


119 


the  building  is  generally  quite  full  on  Sunday  morn- 
ings, and  during  the  week  a  good  average  attendance 
is  maintained. 

Around  the  Cathedral  are  built  several  smaller  churches 
or  schools,  each  one  large  enough  to  hold  five  hundred 
people,  and  in  these  the  classes  are  held.  In  1894  the 
large  church  was  blown  down  during  a  great  storm  that 
sw^ept  over  the  country ;  but  a  new  one  was  at  once 
started,  and  ultimately  completed  by  the  Katikiro,  or 
prime  minister  of  the  country,  he  being  a  native  of 


^rIssIO^'ARIEs'  house,  namikembe. 


the  finest  type  aud  a  man  of  great  power  as  a  statesman 
or  chief,  and  above  all  as  a  Christian. 

The  missionaries'  houses,  although  plain  and  unosten- 
tatious, are  nevertheless  comfortable ;  each  man  has  his 
ow^n  house  and  small  garden.  A  large  two-storied  house 
was  in  the  course  of  construction  upon  our  arrival,  and 
when  we  inquired  its  purpose  we  were  told  it  was  for  a 
party  of  English  ladies  who  were  expected  to  arrive 
towards  the  end  of  the  year,  and  indeed  they  did  so  on 
October  4th,  a  noble  band  of  women,  who  ever  since 


120 


IX  DJVARF  LAND. 


have  been  working  most  devotedly  amongst  their  dark 
sisters. 

Kampala  hill  is  the  smallest  of  the  four,  but  for  all  that 
is  of  the  greatest  importance,  and  at  the  top  is  the  fort 
which  has  now  become  almost  historic.  At  the  time  of 
our  arrival  there  was  no  fort  at  all,  nothing  but  a  rough 
stockade  enclosing  the  houses  of  the  Commissioner  and 
the  officers  in  charge. 


INTEllIOli  OF  M1SS10^■AK1ES'  HOUSE. 


On  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  hili  were  the  Soudanese 
quarters ;  on  the  north,  the  encampments  of  the  traders, 
&c. ;  and  on  the  west  was  the  large  drill  ground,  v/here 
each  morning  would  be  seen  about  three  hundred  stalwart 
Soudanese  soldiers,  performing  their  drill. 

Kampala  is  the  busiest  of  all  places  in  Mengo — caravans 
coming  and  going  every  day  ;  a  labour  bureau  in  full 
working  order,  where  hundreds  of  natives  flock  to  seek 
employment.    Here  one  also  sees  the  Swahili  and  Arab 


IN  DWARF  LAXD. 


121 


traders  bartering  their  goods  for  the  ivory  brought  in  by 
the  Waganda,  and  all  is  bustle  and  stir.  Just  inside  the 
stockade  was  a  large  house  called  the  Baraza  ;  there  every 
week  the  king  with  his  parliament  met  the  British  Com- 
missioner to  talk  over  and  arrange  the  affairs  of  the 
state. 

The  British  Government  of  Uganda  is  undoubtedly  on 
the  right  lines  ;  it  is  distinctly  a  civil  government,  and 
the  "powers  that  be"  already  in  the  country  are  not 
ignored,  but  controlled  and  used.    The  consequence  is 


that  each  chief  has  become  a  man  of  much  more  im- 
portance since  the  occupation  by  the  British  than  he  ever 
was  before.  He  is  respected  by  the  British  officers,  and 
trusted  to  do  his  duty,  and  until  he  proves  himself  in- 
capable of  controlling  the  district  allotted  to  him  by  the 
king  he  retains  his  chieftainship. 

The  native  government  of  Uganda  forms  an  excellent 
base  upon  which  the  British  can  work.  The  king  is 
controlled  by  twelve  big  chiefs,  called  Masaza,  and  he 
can  do  nothing  without  their  agreement.    Therefore  the 


KAMPALA. 


1 22 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


Government,  working  in  conjunction  with  this  assembly 
of  chiefs,  by  tact  and  good  management  can  rule  the 
whole  country,  and  it  is  w^ell  to  bear  in  mind  that  the 
troubles  which  have  disturbed  Uganda  of  late  years  have 
been  brought  about  largely  by  outsiders,  for  the  big 
chiefs,  or  Masaza,  have  nearly  all  remained  loyal  to  the 
Government . 

In  the  case  of  the  rebellion  caused  by  the  flight  of 
Mw^anga,  the  fault  no  doubt  was  with  the  Soudanese,  who 


revolted  shortly  afterwards  and  joined  forces  with  him,  for 
although  the  news  of  the  Soudanese  war  came  suddenly 
and  unexpectedly  to  the  ears  of  the  Foreign  Office  :  there 
was  no  doubt  whatever  that  it  was  brewing  for  months 
before  the  actual  outbreak,  and  many  signs  were  given  of 
its  coming ;  but  more  of  this  later  on. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  in  Uganda  we  were  sent  off  to 
various  districts  where  our  missionary  w^ork  was  to  be 
done  ;  and  although  it  is  not  my  purpose  in  this  record  to 
give  many  details  of  missionary  work,  still  a  short  sketch 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


123 


of  a  missionary's  life  in  Uganda  would  be  of  general 
interest. 

Let  me  commence  by  saying  that  his  occupations  are 
varied,  and  by  no  means  is  his  life  that  of  a  Sunday- 
school  teacher  every  day  of  the  week.  He  is  a  teacher, 
but  he  must  also  be  a  builder,  for  houses,  cattle-pens, 
stores,  and   outhouses   have  to  be  constructed  by  the 


M  WANG  A  AND  JUS  I'AliLIAMENT. 


missionary.  He  must  also  be  a  doctor  of  medicine  and  a 
dentist ;  he  must  dose  the  sick  natives,  who  will  trust 
him  implicitly  to  cure  them  of  even  leprosy,  and  he  must 
be  able  to  draw  the  most  solidly  rooted  molar  that  ever 
grew  in  the  skull  of  a  black  man.  More  than  this,  he 
must  be  his  own  cobbler,  and  when  his  boots  wear  out  he 
must  be  able  to  re-sole  thein  with  good  understandings, 
and  must  be  content  sometimes  with  nothing  but  a  few 


124 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


French  nails  and  a  piece  of  cowhide  with  which  to 
acconiphsh  it.  His  own  socks  he  must  dam,  and  keep 
his  temper  while  he  does  it,  or  his  fingers  will  come  off 
second  best  ;  and  it  must  be  done  well  too,  or  else  he  will 
go  for  weeks  with  a  blister  on  his  toe.  Better  for  him,  if 
he  cannot  darn,  to  cut  the  foot  off  the  stocking  and  put 
his  bare  foot  into  the  boot.  He  must  be  his  own  carpenter 
and  house  decorator,  as  well  as  furniture  maker;  chairs 
and  tables  constructed  out  of  old  chop  boxes  are  not  the 
easiest  things  to  make  with  no  other  tools  than  a  small 


hand-saw  and  a  chisel.  But  he  must  also  be  his  own 
lawyer,  accountant,  and  book-keeper,  and  when  the 
currency  takes  the  form  of  cowrie  shells,  as  it  does  in 
Uganda  (where  three  hundred  tiny  cowries  make  a 
shilling),  it  is  not  easy  to  keep  the  accounts  right. 
He  must  marry  and  divorce,  give  judgments  and  bap- 
tize. He  must  be  gardener,  cook,  and  dairymaid,  grow 
his  own  food,  and  look  after  his  live  stock.  In  addition 
to  all  this  he  is  the  parish  minister,  to  help  and  comfort 
all  who  coniC  to  him. 


HIS  OWN  COBBLEE. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


125 


During  the  first  few  months  in  the  country,  when  the 
language  is  quite  unknown,  curious  mistakes  occur,  as  a 
result  of  his  ignorance  of  the  customs  of  the  people. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  a  most  embarrassing  incident 
happened.  A  young  damsel  of  very  handsome  appearance 
came  one  day  to  visit  me  at  my  house,  bringing  a  basket 
of  fruit,  asking  my  acceptance.  Of  course  I  thanked  her 
as  best  I  could  and  accepted  the  gift.  The  following  day 
she  came  again  bringing  another  present,  and  again  I 
gladly  received  it.  But  when  this  went  on  day  after  day 
for  nearly  a  fortnight  I  began  to  think  that  something 
was  wrong.  I  therefore  sent  for  one  of  my  boys,  who 
explained  to  me  the  meaning  of  these  constant  visits. 
It  appears  that  this  is  one  of  the  native  customs.  Any 
young  woman  seeking  a  husband,  and  finding  a  young  man 
to  whom  she  feels  drawn,  immediately  brings  him  a 
present,  and  if  he  receives  it  she  is  encouraged  to  renew 
the  gift  ;  each  acceptance  makes  it  more  certain  that 
she  has  found  favour  in  the  sight  of  the  young  man,  and 
at  the  end  of  a  certain  time  he  is  expected  to  propose  to 
her ;  and  she  becomes  his  wife.  Imagine  my  feelings 
when  I  heard  the  story  and  thought  of  the  many  un- 
deniable proofs  I  had  unconsciously  given  her  that  she 
was  an  accepted  suitor.  With  great  embarrassment, 
therefore,  I  had  to  tell  her  that  my  ignorance  had  caused 
me  to  do  wliat  otherwise  I  should  not  have  done,  and 
finished  up  by  telling  her  that  a  white  man  could  not 
possibly  marry  a  black  woman.  Alas !  she  did  not  seem 
to  see  the  reason  why  it  should  be  so,  and  I  fear  went 
away  with  a  heavy  heart. 

The  people  of  Uganda,  or  the  Waganda,  as  they  are 
called,  are  really  a  fine  race.  Surrounded  as  they  are  by 
naked  savages  it  is  a  great  wonder  that  they  have  not 
degenerated  and  become  like  them.  Instead  of  this  the 
ordinary  Uganda  man  is  as  much  above  the  savage  as  the 


126 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


Englishman  is  above  the  Arab.  There  is  that  in  his 
nature  that  desires  improvement,  and  anything  that  really 
appeals  to  him  as  a  benefit  he  will  do  all  he  can  to  possess. 
Good  roads,  for  instance,  strike  him  as  being  a  decided 
advantage  for  the  traveller,  and  the  chiefs  of  the  country, 
therefore,  are  most  anxious  that  these  should  be  made, 
and  in  many  parts  there  are  splendid  roads,  swamps  and 
rivers  bridged,  and  forests  cleared.  Howwer,  the  dis- 
turbed state  of  the  country  during  the  last  three  years  has 
greatly  hindered  this  work,  and  the  paths  that  once  were 
six  feet  wide  and  well  cleared  of  vegetation  are  now  over- 
grown again. 

The  Waganda  are  not  a  tall  race,  but  thor(nighly  well- 
built  and  muscular,  and  as  a  fighting  force,  if  properly 
trained,  w^ould  undoubtedly  compare  very  favourably  with 
any  other  native  regiment.  They  are  brave  as  lions, 
and  will  rush  up  to  the  cannon's  mouth  without  the 
least  sign  of  fear.  But,  like  all  other  untrained  soldiers, 
when  severely  beaten  they  are  soon  demoralised,  and  a 
heavy  loss  will  dishearten  them.  The  Waganda  are 
certainly  very  sly  and  capable  of  great  craftiness,  and  if 
they  can  deceive  a  European  they  consider  it  a  very 
smart  thing  indeed ;  but  among  themselves  I  believe, 
generally  speaking,  they  are  truthful,  and  a  lie  is  looked 
upon  by  them  as  a  shameful  thing,  excepting  when  a 
European  is  concerned.  One  can  understand  this  to  a 
certain  extent  with  an  uncivilised  race,  and  the  Waganda 
have  not  always  been  treated  with  the  utmost  candour  by 
Europeans,  and,  indeed,  frequently  have  been  deceived. 
This  being  the  case,  there  is  little  wonder  that  they  should 
copy  the  white  man's  vices  and  forget  his  virtues. 

In  his  ow^n  home  the  native  of  Uganda  shows  to  his  best 
advantage,  and  it  is  there  perhaps  that  a  man's  character 
is  more  clearly  understood.  He  loves  his  children  and 
enjoys  family  life,  but  he  is  a  decided  autocrat,  and  all 


LY  DWARF  LAXD. 


12/ 


nmst  be  subservient  to  the  master  of  the  house.  Generally 
speaking  he  does  not  treat  his  wife  unkindly,  and  I  have 
known  many  a  man  and  wife  in  Uganda  as  truly  united 
by  love  as  man  and  wife  should  be,  but  his  dependants 
are  treated  wdth  the  utmost  severity,  and  as  a  rule  the 
female  section  of  the  household  slaves,  has  rather  a 
miserable  time  of  it.  With  the  spread  of  Christianit}^ 
through  the  country  woman  is  undoubtedly  being  raised 
to  a  better  position.  A  few  years  ago  it  was  a  thing- 
unknown  for  a  woman  to  partake  of  food  with  her 
husband,  but  now  in  thousands  of  families  this  is  done. 
Then,  women  were  bought  and  sold  for  a  few  sheep  or 
goats  or  a  few  thousand  shells,  now,  this  is  no  longer  the 
case. 

A  Christian  government  has,  little  b}^  little,  introduced 
laws  based  upon  the  Ten  Commandments,  and  now^  even 
wife  beating  is  illegal,  and  a  woman  thus  treated  can 
enter  an  action  against  her  husband.  A  slave  need  no 
longer  remain  as  such,  his  freedom  is  secured  to  him  if 
he  desires  it. 

But  what  of  the  missionary's  efforts?  It  is  not  for 
him  to  interfere  with  State  affairs ;  it  is  not  for  him  to 
attempt  to  hold  any  political  influence,  he  is  to  mould 
the  native  character,  to  instil  into  the  untutored  mind 
the  great  principles  of  Christianity.  By  any  and  every 
means  at  his  conmiand  the  missionary's  clear  duty  is 
to  help  the  individual,  and  whether  this  may  be  done 
by  reading-classes,  by  industrial  mission  work,  hospital 
work,  visiting  the  homes  of  the  natives,  preaching  in 
the  by-ways  or  in  the  great  cathedral,  it  is  his  duty 
to  see  that  in  every  way  possible  he  is  fulhlliiig  this 
mission.  This,  I  feel  confident  in  aftirming,  has  been 
the  sincere  desire  of  the  C.M.S.  missionaries  in  Uganda, 
and  to  the  most  disinterested  it  is  plain  enough  that 
a  great  work  has  been  done.    I  know  there  are  some 


128 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


who  will  visit  a  place  like  Uganda  and  spend  a  year 
or  two  there,  and  will  come  home  and  declare  that 
missionary  work  is  either  a  failure,  or  that  it  has  been 
greatly  exaggerated.  Let  the  loyalty  of  the  Christian 
Waganda  during  the  late  rebellion  silence  for  ever  such 
statements  as  these.  It  was  during  the  rebellion  that 
I  think  the  eyes  of  all  were  opened  to  see  that  the 
Christian  native  was  then  the  one  to  be  relied  upon. 
Mohammedans  and  heathen  alike  joined  with  the  rebels, 


THE  HOSPITAL,  ^^AMIREMBE. 


and  it  was  the  Christians  who  showed  their  loyalty  in 
standing  by  the  Government  from  the  first  to  the  last 
day  of  the  campaign.  And  this  at  no  little  discourage- 
ment to  themselves.  Among  the  killed  and  wounded 
were  their  best,  the  flower  of  their  nation  ;  the  quarrel 
was  not  their  own,  nor  anything  to  do  with  them,  it 
was  the  white  man's  quarrel,  but  for  all  this  they  did 
their  best  throughout. 

Before  leaving  Uganda  for  Toro,  which  is  a  large 
country  to  the  far  west  of  Uganda,  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  some  of  the  splendid  medical  work  that  was 


/y  DJVARF  LAND. 


129 


beino-  carried  on  in  Mengo.  If  there  be  one  side  of 
missionary  work  that  must  appeal  to  all  men — no  matter 
what  their  opinions  are  with  reference  to  other  methods 
of  missionary  effort — it  is  the  medical  work.  As  I  have 
already  stated,  it  is  a  practical  Christianity  which  appeals 
to  the  black  man,  and  it  is  only  this  kind  of  Christianity 
that  is  worth  anything  at  all.    Indeed  there  is  no  other. 


DK.  ALBERT  COOK  AND  STAFF. 


To  watch  the  crowds  of  suffering  humanity,  gathered 
together  every  morning  in  the  waiting-room  of  the  Mengo 
hospital,  and  to  see  how  one  by  one  they  are  carefully  and 
skilfully  attended  to,  their  wounds  dressed  with  the  best 
appliances,  their  disorders  treated  with  European  drugs, 
and  to  hear  their  grateful  words  of  thanks  as  they  pass  on 
their  way,  speaks  to  one  in  a  way  that  is  difticult  to 

10 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


express.  There  was  a  time  when  the  missionaries  in 
Mengo,  or  at  any  rate  as  many  of  them  as  were  able, 
had  to  attend  each  morning  to  the  sick  folk  that  came 
to  them.  Many  a  time  have  I  watched  good  Archdeacon 
Walker  sitting  in  the  verandah  of  his  house,  dispensing 
medicines  to  the  poor  sufferers  as  they  came  to  him  for 
aid.  But  the  time  arrived  when  a  noble  young  doctor, 
w^ith  all  the  highest  prospects  of  success  before  him 
in  England,  chose  rather  to  go  where  he  felt  he  was 
most  needed,  and  where  he  might  do  the  most  good. 
And  so  it  came  about  that  early  in  the  year  1897  Dr. 
Albert  Cook  arrived  in  Mengo. 

A  little  hospital  was  then  built  to  accommodate  about 
tw^enty  in-patients,  and  a  dispensary  close  at  hand  for  the 
use  of  the  out-patients.  Some  thousands  of  cases  have 
now  been  treated,  and  quite  a  revolution  has  taken  place 
in  Mengo.  It  has  been  found  that  the  lame  can  be  made 
to  walk,  that  the  blind  have  their  sight  restored,  and  that 
those  who  for  years  have  never  left  their  beds  may  now 
be  healed. 

Every  one  who  can,  pays  a  few  shells  for  the  medicine 
or  treatment  that  he  or  she  receives,  but  the  poor  are 
attended  to  without  payment.  In  the  wards  may  be 
seen  Roman  Catholics,  Mohammedans,  heathen,  and 
Protestants,  all  side  by  side,  each  one  receiving  from  a 
common  source  the  help  they  need,  and  all  alike  are 
taught  to  recognise  the  one  Great  Physician — Christ — as 
the  only  Healer  of  the  ills  of  the  soul.  Morning  and 
evening  prayers  are  held  in  each  ward,  and  bright  services 
on  the  Sunday,  and  these  meet  with  the  most  hearty 
appreciation  of  all  classes  alike. 

Dr.  Cook  has  been  most  ably  assisted  in  this  work  of 
love  by  Nurse  Timpson,  who  for  some  time  held  a  position 
of  very  great  trust  and  distinction  in  one  of  the  large 
London   hospitals.     The   women's   ward   is  her  chief 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


delight,  and  her  presence  there  is  without  doubt  the 
greatest  pleasure  to  the  patients.  Her  kind  and  cheering 
word,  her  sweet  smile  and  loving  actions  call  forth  the 
wonder  and  deep  admiration  of  all  the  poor  dark  souls  in 
that  hospital.  Not  only  are  the  small  ailments  under- 
taken, but  the  most  difficult  operations  are  performed  by 
Dr.  Cook,  and  often  I  have  stood  by  and  watched 
the  most  critical  cases  attended  to  in  the  operating-room, 
and  great  has  been  the  success  of  these  efforts,  not  only 
from  a  doctor's  point  of  view,  but  eminently  from  a 
missionary's  standpoint.  Dr.  Cook's  chief  dresser  is  a 
Uganda  boy,  who,  suffering  from  an  internal  abscess,  first 
visited  the  hospital  soon  after  it  was  opened  and  asked  for 
medicine;  he  was  most  skilfully  treated  and  recovered. 
He  then  offered  his  services  to  the  doctor  to  do  anything 
he  could  to  help  in  the  efforts  put  forward  to  relieve  the 
sufferings  of  his  own  people,  and  without  receiving 
any  set  wage,  in  fact  nothing  at  all  but  his  food  and 
clothing.  This  young  fellow  has  ever  since  stood  by 
the  doctor  in  all  his  work,  and  by  his  self-denying,  self- 
sacrificing  devotion  has  not  only  been  able  to  render  very 
valuable  assistance  as  a  dresser,  but  he  has  constantly 
proved  that  the  Waganda  are  not  without  the  capacity 
of  reciprocating  love  and  manifesting  their  appreciation 
of  kindness  shown  to  them.  ]3ut  space  forbids  my  en- 
larging upon  this  and  other  missionary  efforts  that  are 
being  put  forth  in  Uganda  for  the  enlightenment  of  the 
natives. 

In  speaking  of  the  Waganda  there  is  one  subject  that 
one  must  not  omit  to  mention,  viz.,  their  industries. 
Although  naturally  lazy,  like  all  Africans,  they  have  their 
different  occupations,  and  manufacture  various  things  for 
general  use.  Their  chief  industry  perhaps  is  iron- working. 
The  iron  is  dug  froni  the  earth,  smelted  by  the  natives, 
and  then  used  for  making  knives,  spears,  axes,  and  spades, 


132 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


which  are  the  implements  of  first  importance ;  but 
articles  of  far  greater  intricacy  are  also  made  by  the 
native  smith.  I  have  seen  a  complete  Snider  rifle  made 
by  a  Uganda  blacksmith,  and  although  it  was  not  suffi- 
ciently well  made  to  admit  of  a  strong  charge  of  gun- 
powder, or  a  regulation  Snider  cartridge  ;  still  the  gun  was 
perfect  in  every  other  particular. 

When  one  considers  the  roughness  of  the  tools  used  by 
the  native  workmen,  it  is  a  matter  of  great  surprise  that 
they  are  able  to  turn  out  such  really  good  work.  A  stone 
is  the  anvil  universally  used;  a  lump  of  iron  with  a  flat 
surface  on  one  side  constitutes  the  hammer,  which  has 
no  shaft.  These,  with  a  few  rudely  made  iron  sets,  are 
all  the  tools  he  has  to  work  with.  The  forge  is  of  very 
primitive  construction,  but  does  its  work  exceedingly 
well.  Two  large  earthenware  basins  with  tubes,  leading 
from  the  bottom  to  a  common  nozzle,  and  over  the  top  of 
each  of  these  basins  is  loosely  stretched  a  prepared  goat- 
skin, and  into  each  goat-skin  is  fastened  a  hollow  reed, 
and  these  reeds  are  worked  up  and  down ;  when  raised 
the  hole  through  the  reed  is  left  free,  but  when  forced 
down  it  is  covered  with  the  thumb,  and  thus  drives  the 
air  through  the  earthenware  nozzle.  The  two  reeds  being 
worked  alternately,  a  constant  blast  is  kept  up.  Charcoal 
is  used  for  the  fire,  and  a  very  good  heat  can  be  procured 
and  sustained  by  this  simple  but  efficient  method. 

Wood-working  is  also  quite  a  native  industry  in  Uganda, 
and  remarkably  well  performed.  The  native  stool  in 
itself  is  a  good  specimen  of  their  work,  carved  out  of  the 
solid  trunk  of  a  tree  with  all  kinds  of  ornamental  work. 
Some  are  round,  others  square,  but  all  are  very  low,  and 
there  seems  very  little  desire  on  the  part  of  the  natives 
to  perch  themselves  on  high  chairs.  The  native  bedstead 
is  also  thoroughly  well  made,  and  consists  of  a  wooden 
framework  with  carved  legs  of  various  designs  and  a 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


133 


cowhide  spring  mattress ;  they  are  most  comfortable 
and  very  strong.  But  the  masterpiece  of  wood- working 
is  found  in  the  planks  which  are  cut  out  by  hand.  Some- 
times these  are  20  feet  in  length,  and  3  feet  or  4  feet 
broad.  They  are  cut  from  the  solid  trunk  of  some 
forest  giant,  and  take  months  to  finish. 

Pottery  also,  among  the  Waganda,  is  quite  a  fine  art. 
Very  near  to  Mengo  there  is  a  whole  village  of  pottery 
workers ;  large  cooking-pots  and  water-pitchers,  basins 
and  cups  of  all  shapes  are  made.  No  wheel  is  used,  and 
the  only  tool  is  the  hand.  They  are  very  clever  in  copying 
European  things,  such  as  cups  and  saucers,  teapots,  ; 
all  are  cleverly  moulded.  The  pottery  is  burnt  after  it 
is  moulded  to  shape — huge  fires  of  wood  are  made,  a 
quantity  of  fine  dried  grass  being  mixed  with  it,  and  into 
the  hot  ash  the  pots  are  placed  for  an  hour  or  two. 
Smoking,  being  almost  universal  in  Uganda,  pipes  are 
therefore  made  h\  the  potter ;  a  finer  kind  of  clay  is  used, 
and  they  are  coloured  black,  with  a  glazed  shiny  surface. 
Some  of  the  pipes  are  very  curious ;  I  have  seen  them 
made  in  the  shape  of  the  English  brier,  and  others  made 
to  represent  a  gun.  The  common  Uganda  pipe  consists 
of  a  very  large  bowl,  holding  about  half  an  ounce  of 
tobacco,  but  this  amount  is  seldom  put  into  it,  as  room 
must  be  left  for  the  burning  ash  at  the  top. 

Basket  and  mat-making  are  both  industries  practised 
by  the  people  of  Uganda,  and  some  very  beautiful  work 
is  produced,  especially  in  the  basket  line ;  so  closely  are 
these  plaited  that  some  are  almost  watertight,  and  indeed 
are  used  in  which  to  brew  the  native  beer,  which  is  made 
from  the  banana  and  called  "mwenge." 

Bark-cloth  making  is  also  quite  an  art ;  a  species  of 
fig-tree  produces  a  particular  kind  of  bark  suitable  for 
the  purpose.  A  grooved  mallet  is  made  of  wood,  and  the 
bark  being  cut  into  strips  is  beaten  out  gradually  upon  a 


134 


FN  DJVARF  LAND. 


wooden  block.  The  bark  thus  treated  spreads  out,  and 
from  a  strip  of  bark  a  foot  in  width  a  piece  of  cloth  wall 
be  made,  at  least  three  times  the  width  of  the  originaL 
This  cloth  is  worn  by  most  of  the  poorer  classes,  and  by 
all  the  women,  w^hatever  rank  they  hold.  When  finished 
it  is  dark  terra-cotta  colom%  and  very  durable. 

The  women  wear  the  bark  cloth  loosely  thrown  round 
the  body,  secured  at  the  waist  by  a  band  of  some  other 
cloth  and  held  in  position  by  the  arms,  the  shoulders 
being  left  bare.  The  men,  however,  merely  tie  together 
the  two  opposite  corners  of  the  cloth,  which  is  thrown 
over  the  shoulders,  the  knot  being  worn  on  either  the  right 
or  left  side,  the  cloth  falling  carelessly  round  the  figure. 

There  is  a  ver}'  large  native  market  in  the  capital,  and 
the  people  flock  to  this  with  their  w^ares,  and  a  great  deal 
of  business  is  transacted  ;  meat  and  other  foods,  such  as 
bananas,  maize,  sw^eet  potatoes,  and  yams,  can  be  bought 
or  sold  here  as  well  as  the  manufactured  articles  of  the 
country.  Cloth  is  also  on  sale  in  the  market,  and  is 
brought  into  the  country  chiefly  by  Swahili  traders,  and 
is  worn  by  the  better-class  men  in  place  of  the  bark  cloth. 

In  Uganda  the  women  do  all  the  cultivating  and  the 
cooking,  and  the  men  do  the  sewing  that  is  necessary  and 
the  housebuilding.  It  has  been  said  that  one  woman  in 
Uganda,  by  her  cultivating,  can  easih-  supply  food  enough 
to  support  nine  men,  and  therefore  when  a  man  possesses 
five  or  six  wives  it  will  be  seen  that  the  woman's  work 
is  not  excessively  laborious.  She  goes  into  the  garden  at 
daybreak,  remaining  there  till  about  11  a.m.  Again  in 
the  afternoon  from  about  three  to  five.  The  rest  of  the 
day  she  has  to  herself,  for  looking  after  the  children  or 
visiting  her  neighbours. 

The  chiefs  all  possess  cattle,  and  the  poorer  classes 
have  instead,  sheep  and  goats  and  fowls.  The  little  boys 
attend  to  the  former  and  the  little  girls  to  the  latter. 


IN  DWARF  LAXD. 


135 


After  I  had  settled  down  in  the  country  some  httle 
time  I  conceived  the  idea  of  capturing  a  number  of  zebra 
to  train  for  transport  work  ;  so  utterly  disgusted  had  I 
been  during  my  journey  up-country  from  the  coast  with 
the  horrible  practice  of  human  porterage,  that  I  was 
prepared  to  do  what  I  possibly  could  to  substitute  for  it 
some  other  method,  at  any  rate  so  far  as  I  personally  was 
concerned.  I  first  offered  a  big  price  in  cloth  to  any  chief 
or  common  man  who  w^ould  catch  for  me  a  young  zebra. 
To  the  north-west  of  Mengo  there  are  great  quantities  of 
these  animals  roaming  about,  and  the  W'onder  to  me  was 
that  they  had  never  been  utilised  for  this  purpose. 
Whether  the  chiefs  doubted  the  sincerity  of  my  offer  or 
not  I  cannot  say,  but  certain  it  is  no  effort  was  made  to 
trap  the  zebra.  I  next  visited  a  place  not  far  from  the 
station  where  I  was  living,  where  I  knew  there  w^as  a 
large  herd  of  zebra,  x^rriving  there  in  the  evening,  I 
called  together  about  twenty  men,  and  got  them  to 
promise  to  help  me  the  following  morning  in  my  enter- 
prise. 

As  soon  as  day  broke  I  hurriedly  dressed,  took  up  my 
gun  and  a  long  coil  of  rope,  called  the  men  together  and 
set  off  to  the  plain.  We  had  not  started  more  than 
an  hour  when  we  came  upon  the  herd.  It  consisted  of 
close  upon  thirty  full-grown  animals,  with  three  or  four 
young  foals.  My  first  idea  was  to  shoot  the  mare  and 
then  proceed  to  catch  the  little  one,  which  I  felt  sure 
would  not  run  from  its  mother's  side.  We  were  soon 
able  to  decide  upon  one  with  a  little  foal  of  about  three 
or  four  months  old,  and  very  carefully  we  crept  up  in  the 
grass  until  we  were  w^ithin  easy  range.  I  then  fired,  the 
mare  dropped,  and  aw^ay  went  the  herd,  and  to  our  dis- 
appointment away  w^ent  the  little  one  too,  leaving  its 
mother  dead  upon  the  plain.  The  meat,  how^ever,  w^as 
not  w^asted,  and  right  glad  were  we  to  partake  of  zebra 


136 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


steak.  It  was  impossible  to  get  up  to  the  herd  again  that 
day,  and  so  we  went  back  to  the  village  and  waited,  and 
the  next  day  we  tried  different  tactics. 

I  collected  about  one  hundred  men  to  go  with  me,  and 
when  we  came  to  the  zebra  I  sent  them  in  single  file 
right  round  the  whole  herd,  so  as  to  shut  them  in  on 
every  side  and  then  at  a  given  signal  to  advance  slowly, 
allow  the  full-grown  animals  to  escape,  and  catch  the 
young  one  whose  mother  we  had  killed  the  day  before. 
All  went  well  until  we  had  got  the  ring  round  the  herd 
complete,  and  then  a  great  disturbance  took  place ;  a 
large  male  zebra,  evidently  the  most  important  of  the 
herd,  came  rushing  towards  me,  and  the  men  who  were 
near,  with  wide-open  mouth.  All  the  men  fled  for  their 
lives,  or  dodged  behind  trees  and  bushes,  to  get  out  of 
the  w^ay  of  the  infuriated  animal.  I  had  no  idea  that  a 
zebra  would  thus  attack  a  man  wdien  hardly  pressed,  but 
the  natives  assured  me  that  it  was  quite  a  common 
occurrence,  especially  with  a  wounded  zebra.  Of  course 
the  result  of  this  mad  rush  was  that  the  whole  herd  again 
got  away. 

I  next  decided  to  make  a  huge  drive,  formed  of  stakes 
driven  into  the  earth,  culminating  in  a  strong  stockade, 
then  to  chase  the  herd  into  this  drive,  and  finally  pick  out 
those  required  and  allow  the  rest  to  escape.  But  as  I  had 
already  spent  two  days  without  any  result  I  thought  I  would 
return  to  my  station  for  a  week  or  so  and  then  renew  my 
efforts.  In  the  meantime  I  offered  an  even  greater  present 
to  the  man  who  would  bring  me  a  live  zebra,  and  this  time, 
having  seen  my  earnestness  to  catch  one  myself,  the 
natives  believed  that  I  really  meant  what  I  said.  About 
four  days  after  my  return  to  the  station  a  great  company 
of  men  set  off  by  themselves  to  try  and  catch  a  zebra  for 
me.  They  adopted  the  tactics  w^e  had  used  on  the  second 
occasion,  that  of  surrounding  the  herd  and  closing  in 


AV  PJVARF  LAXD. 


137 


upon  it.  They  were  successful,  and  one  fine  strong  fellow 
captured  a  young  zebra  about  four  months  old,  a«ftd  in 
spite  of  all  its  kicking  and  biting  managed  to  fasten  a 
rope  to  one  of  its  legs.  They  were  so  highly  delighted 
with  their  success  that  the}'  gave  the  captured  zebra  into 
the  hands  of  one  of  the  young  fellows,  and  the  rest  set 
off  after  the  herd  to  try  and  secure  a  second.    Alas  I  for 


EFFORTS  TO  CATCH  ZEBRA. 


them  ;  the  young  man  left  in  charge  was  an  untrust- 
worthy fellow,  and  when  the  little  zebra  began  to  kick 
and  prance  about  he  actually  loosened  the  rope  and  let 
it  go ;  and  when  the  men  came  back  in  the  evening,  tired 
and  unsuccessful  in  their  second  attempt,  they  found  to 
their  great  annoyance  that  the  zebra  had  been  liberated, 
and  they  all  completely  lost  heart  and  returned  home. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


The  man  who  had  caught  it,  however,  came  to  me  asking 
for  the  present ;  and  when  I  said,  "Oh,  but  you  have  not 
brought  the  zebra;  "  he  said,  "Yes,  but  I  caught  it,  and 
3"0U  ought  to  reward  me."  I  gave  him  a  smaher  present 
to  encourage  him  to  try  again,  but  it  was  hopeless ;  and 
the  next  time  I  w^ent  to  carry  out  my  scheme  of  a 
"  drive  "  I  could  not  get  half  a  dozen  men  to  accompany 
me.  It  was  also  about  this  time  that  I  was  moved  from 
Uganda  and  sent  on  to  Toro,  so  that  my  efforts  to  catch 
zebra  have  been  fruitless  up  to  the  present. 


CHAPTEE  VII 


UGANDA    TO  TORO 

Experiences  gained — Toro — Ruwenzori — A  lay  missionary's  work — Vale- 
dictory feasts — Obtaining  porters — The  boys — Mika's  conversion — A 
leopard  scare — The  Mayanja — Mosquitoes — INIitiana — Crossing  the 
Mpamiijugu — Elephant  country — Antelope  steak — Forest  glades — 
Elan — Sally,  a  distinguished  guest — Unfriendly  Papists — I  nurse  a 
black  baby  —Cow  stealing — Fishing  for  breakfast — IMwenge — Byakwe- 
yamba — The  banquet — An  embarrassing  welcome  to  Toro. 

MY  journey  was  not  continued  westward  until  after  I 
had  spent  fifteen  months  in  Uganda,  carrying  on 
there  the  work  of  a  missionary.  They  were  months  full 
of  pleasurable  service,  and  afforded  me  ample  opportunity 
of  learning  the  native  language  of  Uganda,  and  also  of 
studying  the  native  character.  One  trusts  that  during 
that  time  some  good  may  have  resulted  from  the  efforts 
put  forth ;  at  any  rate  the  experience  I  gained  during  that 
period  has  been  invaluable  to  me  ever  since. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  give  full  details  of  my  work 
during  those  fifteen  months.  Upon  my  arrival  in  the 
country  I  was  sent  to  Gayaza,  a  large  district  with  about 
ten  thousand  inhabitants,  about  twelve  miles  from  Mengo, 
where  I  remained  for  the  first  six  months ;  taking  classes 
and  services  for  the  people ;  visiting  through  the  district 
from  house  to  house ;  making  friends  of  many  by  dis- 
tributing medicines  to  the  sick  and  suffering  ;  and  in  every 
way  possible,  though  very  imperfectly,  doing  what  I 

139 


I40 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


could  to  make  known  to  all  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
I  was  afterwards  sent  to  open  a  new  station  at  Nakan- 
yonyi,  some  thirty  miles  to  the  north-east  of  Mengo. 
Here  I  was  able  to  build  a  station  suitable  for  the  resi- 
dence of  a  European,  and  a  church  accommodating  about 
a  thousand  people;  visiting  also  Bulondaganyi,  the  district 
lying  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Victoria  Nile,  and  many 
other  places,  endeavouring  to  open  up  the  country  for  the 
reception  of  Christianity. 

In  1895  Christianity  was  introduced  into  Toro  by 
native  missionaries  of  Uganda.  Toro  is  a  large  district 
to  the  extreme  west  of  the  Uganda  Protectorate,  having 
a  separate  king,  and  being  in  no  way  allied  to  Uganda, 
excepting  that  it  receives  the  protection  of  the  British 
Government.  It  lies  between  the  tw^o  lakes,  the  Albert 
Edward  and  the  Albert,  being  bordered  by  the  Mountains 
of  the  Moon.  Kasagama,  the  King  of  Toro,  had  years 
ago  been  driven  from  his  country  by  Kabarega,  the  King 
of  Unyoro,  but  was  reinstated  by  Captain  Lugard  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1894.  The  king  became  a  Chris- 
tian, and  invited  European  teachers  to  his  country. 
Bishop  Tucker,  accompanied  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Fisher,  made 
a  notable  journey  in  the  spring  of  1896  to  the  capital  of 
Toro,  and  the  Bishop  thus  depicts  his  first  impressions  : — 

"  Ruwenzori  is  indeed  a  mighty  mass  towering  into  the 
clouds,  which  give  to  much  of  it  a  mystery  and  beauty 
hard  to  describe.  The  people  differ  considerably  from 
the  Waganda,  but  are  not  so  vigorous  and  robust.  The 
distinguishing  bark  cloth  is  not  made  in  Toro,  the 
dress  of  the  people  consists  therefore  more  largely  of 
skins." 

When  the  Bishop  returned  to  Mengo  after  this  journey, 
he  decided  to  send  to  Toro  another  European  missionary 
to  join  Mr.  Fisher,  whom  he  had  left  there,  and  I  was 
the  one  chosen  to  go.    My  desire  had  always  been  to  be 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


141 


in  the  forefront,  and  wherever  pioneer  work  was  neces- 
sary I  was  anxious  to  go.  This  was  a  very  natural  desire 
of  mine.  From  a  boy  I  had  loved  adventure,  and  sought 
it  upon  every  possible  occasion,  and  our  exploits  as 
schoolboys  in  the  "  bricky  pits,"  as  we  called  them, 
which  will  ever  live  in  my  memory,  were  good  prepara- 
tions for  an  adventurous  life  in  Central  Africa. 

Not  only  was  there  the  natural  love  of  adventure,  how- 
ever, but  the  fact  of  my  being  a  layman  left  me  more 
at  liberty  for  opening  new  stations. 

Nothing,  therefore,  could  have  been  more  to  my  taste 
than  this  journey  to  Toro,  for  although  I  did  not  like 
leaving  so  much  interesting  work  in  Uganda,  and  I  was 
sorry  to  say  goodbye  to  so  many  good  friends  that  I  had 
made  among  the  AVaganda  during  my  stay  there,  still  I 
did  not  anticipate  any  difficulty  in  finding  fresh  sources 
of  interest  and  in  forming  new  friendships  among  the 
people  of  Toro. 

The  last  ten  days  in  Uganda  I  spent  in  bidding  farewell 
to  my  native  friends,  and  I  was  surprised  to  find  how 
difficult  it  really  was  to  bid  these  warm-hearted  people 
goodbye.  Several  of  them  had  feasts  in  my  honour, 
inviting  me  to  attend  the  festive  board,  but  I  could  not 
possibly  accept  all  the  pressing  invitations  given  to  me, 
and,  after  all,  a  native  feast  is  not  particularly  attractive. 
Very  strange  dishes  sometimes  make  their  appearance, 
and  to  keep  in  health  it  is  not  wise  to  indulge  too  freely 
in  these  luxuries.  One  thing,  however,  at  a  native  feast 
one  can  always  be  tolerably  sure  of,  and  that  is  the  plan- 
tains or  bananas.  Cooked  as  a  vegetable  while  green 
they  are  a  most  nourishing  food,  and  one  of  which  even 
the  European  is  seldom  tired. 

To  obtain  porters  for  carrying  goods  or  household 
furniture  (not  more  than  twenty  loads  of  60  lbs.  each), 
I  had  to  go  to  the  big  chief  of  the  country,  or  Prime 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


Minister,  the  Katikiro,  and  arrange  with  him.  He 
immediately  called  five  of  his  under  chiefs,  and  ordered 
each  one  to  provide  six  men,  and  after  a  great  deal  of 
delay  some  of  these  porters  came,  and  I  decided  to  start 
at  once,  leaving  the  others  to  follow  on. 

At  2  p.m.  on  June  "ioth,  after  a  hurried  lunch,  I  started 
with  about  fifteen  men.  A  very  rough  set  they  seemed 
to  be,  and  I  had  my  fears  about  getting  to  my  journey's 
end  without  trouble ;  they  were  all  Waganda,  however, 
and  that  was  in  my  favour,  as  I  could  speak  their  lan- 
guage fairly  well.  We  only  walked  for  about  six  miles, 
and  then  camped  on  the  side  of  the  road  near  to  a  large 
banana  grove.  The  porters  never  like  a  long  march  for  a 
start,  and  as  I  wanted  to  gain  their  confidence  as  soon  as 
possible,  I  allowed  them  to  camp  after  having  walked  for 
two  and  a  half  hours.  The  greater  part  of  the  distance  I 
was  accompanied  by  a  large  crowed  of  my  native  friends 
who  had  come  to  see  me  on  my  way,  and  one  boy  actually 
carried  with  him  all  the  w^ay  from  Mengo  a  large  calabash 
of  sw^eet  banana  w^ine  that  I  might  have  something  to 
slake  my  thirst  when  I  arrived  in  camp. 

It  must  here  be  explained  that,  in  addition  to  the 
porters  who  carried  my  loads,  I  had  wdth  me  eight  boys 
who  accompanied  me,  not  in  the  capacity  of  servants,  for 
they  received  no  wage  whatever  from  me,  but  as  my 
personal  friends.  Willingly  they  undertook  any  work  for 
me,  and  two  of  them  became  most  expert  cooks  after  a 
little  tuition.  They  came  to  me  soon  after  I  arrived  in 
Uganda,  and  remained  wdth  me  till  the  time  I  left  Africa. 
I  taught  them  ah  kinds  of  arts  besides  that  of  cooking. 
Each  boy  could  read  well,  most  of  them  could  write 
intelligibly ;  one  became  quite  an  able  carpenter,  another 
a  builder,  another  a  brickmaker,  and  one  I  taught  to 
nurse,  and  when  I  have  been  ill  and  far  away  from  any 
other  European — as  I  shall  show  by  and  by — this  boy 


LY  DWARF  LAND. 


H3 


watched  over  me  with  the  tenderest  care  by  night  and  by 
day  ;  he  was  always  at  my  bedside,  doing  all  in  his  power 
to  restore  me,  and  I  believe  I  owed  my  life  to  him  upon 
more  than  one  occasion. 

The  oldest  among  them  (Mika),  although  he  was 
always  called  by  me  my  boy,  was  a  full-grown  man  in 
middle  life,  and  was  a  character  worth  speaking  about. 


ox  THE  iiOAD  TO  TORO. 

Very  tall,  and  an  exceptionally  strongly  built  man,  badly 
pitted  with  small-pox,  and  by  no  means  of  prepossessing 
countenance,  and  yet  with  a  heart  as  tender  as  a  child's. 
My  first  introduction  to  this  fellow  took  place  in  a  banana 
grove  soon  after  I  got  to  Uganda.  It  was  while  I  was 
speaking  to  a  large  number  of  natives,  when  on  the  out- 
skirts of  the  crowd  I  saw  a  strange  fellow  standing.  He 
was  tall,  with  very  long  hair,  (juite  contrary  to  the 


144 


IN  DJVARF  LAND. 


ordinary  Uganda  man,  who  keeps  liis  hair  ver}^  short  hy 
constantly  shaving  his  head,  and  he  was  ahnost  nude. 
In  his  hand  he  held  a  most  deadly-looking  weapon,  a 
huge  spear,  such  as  I  had  never  seen  before,  with  a  blade 
2J  feet  in  length  and  5  inches  wide  in  the  centre,  the 
shaft  was  half  as  thick  as  one's  wrist,  and  at  the  end  a 
sharp  iron  ferrule  was  attached. 

When  the  people  who  stood  near  caught  sight  of  him, 
they  all  moved  away  as  if  from  fear.  Full  well  they 
knew  him ;  the  whole  district  was  conversant  with  his 
notorious  life,  his  bloody  deeds  were  spoken  of  by  old  and 
3'oung  alike  ;  a  wild  man  who  had  his  abode  in  the 
jungle,  never  visiting  tlie  haunts  of  man  except  for  rapine 
and  murder.  By  the  roadside  he  was  wont  to  lie  in  wait 
for  harmless  and  unsuspecting  travellers,  spear  them,  and 
rob  them  of  all  that  they  had.  Time  after  time  attempts 
had  been  made  to  capture  him,  but  so  strong  and  active 
was  he  that  he  had  evaded  every  effort.  Long  years  ago 
he  had  been  one  of  King  Mwanga's  famous  wrestlers, 
and  once  had  been  sent  by  his  master  to  take  a  letter  to 
the  gallant  Mackay,  who  was  then  at  Kagei,  at  the  south 
of  the  Victoria  Nyanza. 

As  soon  as  I  had  finished  speaking  he  disappeared,  and 
I  did  not  see  him  again  until  a  fortnight  afterwards.  I 
had  returned  to  my  station,  when  one  afternoon  this 
fellow  came  to  me,  just  in  exactly  the  same  state  as  he 
was  when  I  first  saw  him  in  the  banana  grove,  and  he 
still  carried  his  huge  spear.  I  greeted  him  heartily,  and 
he  proceeded  to  tell  me  that  he  wished  to  learn  to  read, 
and  to  hear  more  of  the  beautiful  wwds,"  as  he  described 
them.  I  conducted  him  into  the  church,  where  reading 
classes  were  going  on,  and,  beckoning  a  little  boy,  in- 
structed him  to  teach  my  new  friend  to  read.  Day  after 
day  he  came,  and  diligently  sat  grinding  away  at  the 
reading  sheet  with  the  little  boy  by  his  side.    He  finally 


LV  DIVARF  LAND. 


H5 


succeeded,  and  became  quite  a  changed  man  from  that 
time.  His  old  life  ^Yas  entirely  given  up  ;  the  horrible 
weapon  which  he  had  used  for  the  purpose  of  murdering 
his  fellow-men  he  gave  to  me.  It  was  wonderful 
to  notice  the  change  in  this  poor  fellow.  One  would 
almost  have  supposed  it  to  be  impossible  for  such  as 
he,  so  deeply  sunk  in  sin  and  wickedness,  to  become 
a  true-hearted  follower  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  never- 
theless such  was  the  case,  and  to-day  that  man  is  as 
true  and  loyal  and  earnest  in  his  simple  faith  as  he  was 
when  he  first  decided  to  give  up  all  his  evil  practices  and 
become  a  Christian.  Surely  this  is  yet  another  proof  of 
the  glorious  truth,  "  the  gospel  of  Christ  is  the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  belie veth." 

It  was  therefore  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  have  such  a 
companion  as  this  in  my  journey  to  Toro,  and  in  every 
possible  way  he  extended  to  me  his  valuable  assistance. 
The  country  was  known  to  him  most  perfectly ;  he  was 
familiar  with  every  bypath,  and  many  a  short  cut  he 
was  able  to  take  us. 

At  our  very  first  camp  we  had  a  scare  with  a  leopard. 
It  was  just  about  5  a.m.,  and  beginning  to  show  signs  of 
morning,  when  the  boys,  who  were  sleeping  in  a  small 
hut  close  to  my  tent,  were  suddenly  and  forcibly  made 
aware  of  the  presence  of  a  huge  leopard  in  their  hut.  It 
had  knocked  down  the  reed  door,  and  was  in  the  act  of 
choosing  a  victim,  when  one  of  my  boys  awoke,  and 
seeing  it  dimly  in  the  faint  light  of  dawn  shouted  aloud, 
and  roused  the  others.  The  leopard  with  a  snarl  of 
disappointment  bounded  from  the  hut,  and  just  rushed 
past  my  tent  door  as  I  came  out  rifle  in  hand,  ready  for  a 
shot.  Its  movements  were  too  quick,  and  the  light  was 
not  sufficiently  good,  so  I  did  not  fire,  and  we  heard  no 
more  of  it.  The  second  day  we  camped  in  a  village  close 
to  the  great  Mayanja  swamp,  which  is  about  two  hundred 

11 


146 


/.V  PJJ\4RF  LAND. 


yards  wide,  and  usually  the  water  and  mud  are  very  deep. 
The  chief  of  the  village,  poor  old  fellow,  was  unfortunately 
very  drunk,  hut  w^as  very  kind,  and  soon  had  fifteen 
baskets  of  food  ready  for  us,  which  consisted  of  plantains 
all  ready  cooked,  wrapped  up  in  the  leaves,  and  neatly  put 
into  baskets.  He  also  gave  me  a  fowl  for  my  own 
personal  requirements. 

Quite  close  to  the  village  was  a  small  wood  in  which 


PAPYEUS  SWAMP. 


I  saw  many  very  beautifully  marked  monkeys,  notably 
one  with  long  dark  chestnut-coloured  hair,  and  long  tail 
tipped  with  bright  red ;  there  were  also  a  great  number 
of  squirrels.  As  evening  came  on  we  all  suffered  for 
our  indiscretion  in  camping  so  near  to  the  swamp. 
Clouds  of  mosquitoes  came  and  literally  besieged  us,  not 
the  great  lanky  fellow  that  is  so  easy  to  detect  coming, 
but  those  dreadful  little  black  pests  whose  bite  seems 
far  more  irritating.    It  was  simply  terrible,  myriads  of 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


147 


these  little  creatures  buzzino-  so  loudly  that  it  sounded 
like  a  swarm  of  bees  close  to  one's  ears.  They  attacked 
my  face  so  unmercifully  that  in  a  very  short  time  it 
was  all  swollen,  my  hands  also  were  most  viciously 
set  upon  by  these  horrors.  We  tried  by  great  fires 
to  drive  them  aw^ay,  but  it  w^as  hopeless,  and  the  end 
of  it  was  that  I  had  to  go  to  bed  early,  so  as  to  get 
under  my  mosquito  net.  But  even  here  it  was  not  much 
better,  for  somehow  or  other  they  found  their  way  in, 
and  a  rare  night  I  spent  of  it.  In  the  early  morning 
they  seemed  worse  than  ever,  no  doubt  being  anxious  to 
get  a  final  meal  before  being  driven  away  by  the  rising 
sun. 

A  march  of  four  hours  brought  us  to  Mitiana,  one 
of  the  C.M.S.  out-stations,  where  the  Eev.  H.  E.  Sugden 
was  in  charge.  A  fine  healthy  station,  built  upon  the 
hill,  with  a  magnificent  view  all  round,  the  Lake  Wamala 
lying  to  the  west. 

The  next  day  being  Sunday,  we  rested  at  the  mission 
station,  and  enjoyed  quiet  services  at  the  church. 

Close  to  the  lake  is  a  Government  station  called 
Fort  Raymond — a  very  small  place,  and  the  fort  wall  is 
built  of  stakes  driven  into  the  earth,  with  a  mud-bank 
on  the  inside ;  but  it  is  always  an  inspiration  to  the 
Briton  in  Africa  when  he  sees  the  old  flag  waving  in  the 
breeze.  There  was  no  European  in  charge  there  at  that 
time,  but  a  Soudanese  officer,  and  a  small  squad  of  men. 

Soon  after  leaving  Mitiana  on  the  following  day,  we 
arrived  at  the  great  swamp,  which  is  really  an  arm  of  the 
lake  Wamala,  and  called  by  the  natives  Mpamujugu. 
My  faithful  old  follower  (whom  I  shall  in  future  call 
Mika,  this  being  the  name  he  took  at  his  baptism) 
immediately  came  to  my  assistance.  This  swamp  is  too 
wide  and  too  deep  to  bridge,  so  has  to  be  crossed  by 
stepping  from  root  to  root  of  the  papyrus  which  floats 


I 


148 


IN  DJVARF  LA  AW. 


on  the  top  of  the  mud  and  water.  Mika  carried  me  on 
his  shoulders  the  whole  w^ay,  and  it  took  us  more  than 
an  hour  to  cross ;  he  never  once  slipped  his  footing,  and 
seemed  as  fresh  at  the  end  of  the  business  as  he  was 
at  the  commencement,  in  spite  of  having  eleven  stone 
on  his  shoulders  for  more  than  an  hour.  In  all,  we 
crossed  no  less  than  seventy-two  swamps  on  the  way  to 
Toro,  and  I  did  not  once  wet  my  boots,  for  Mika  carried 
me  over  them  all. 

We   next   had   a   huge   district   to   cross,   with  no 


UGANDA  LANDSCAPE. 


inhabitants  but  wdld  animals,  particularly  elephants. 
We  saw  one  track  made  through  the  long  grass  by 
these  colossal  beasts  no  less  than  thirty  yards  wide.  It 
was  like  a  great  turnpike  road,  cutting  right  through  the 
country,  and  must  have  been  made  by  some  dozens  of 
elephants. 

One  morning,  soon  after  our  start,  I  killed  a  fine  large 
antelope,  which  we  immediately  cooked,  as  we  were  very 
hungry,  having  been  without  meat  for  some  days.  Fires 
were  made,  and  each  cut  a  lump  of  flesh  from  the  carcase, 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


149 


stuck  it  OD  to  a  stick,  and  held  it  over  the  flanies  until 
it  was  nicely  grilled,  and  we  enjoyed  it  immensely. 

About  seven  days'  journey  from  Mengo  the  whole 
character  of  the  country  is  altered,  and  becomes  much 
more  beautiful.  Short,  wavy  grass  covered  the  earth  in 
place  of  the  ugly  reed  grass  of  Uganda.  The  trees 
were  finer,  and  the  landscapes  much  more  rugged. 
Frequently  we  passed  through  lovely  forest  glades,  with 
every  kind  of  tropical  vegetation  growing  in  profusion. 
Monkeys  of  varied  hues  chattered  among  the  branches. 


KOAD-MAKING,  UGANDA. 

and  butterflies  of  most  exquisite  tints  flitted  before  us  as 
we  walked.  Some  were  so  large  that  we  could  scarcely 
believe  they  were  butterflies.  Parrots  and  hornbills 
screamed  overhead,  and  kingfishers  sat  silently  by  the 
brook  sides,  and  all  seemed  quite  indifferent  to  our 
presence.  In  some  of  these  glades  it  was  difficult  to 
force  our  way  through,  on  account  of  the  thick  under- 
growth. On  the  other  hand,  we  often  met  small  gangs 
of  Waganda  workmen,  with  an  under-chief  at  their  head, 
road-making  and  clearing.    Some  of  the  swamps  too  had 


ISO 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


been  well  bridged,  and  whenever  we  came  up  with 
these  gangs  we  always  praised  the  workmen  for  the  im- 
provements they  had  made,  and  this  seemed  greatly  to 
cheer  them.  Just  the  one  word  "  Webale  "  (lit.  "praise 
yourself"),  spoken  heartily  as  we  passed,  did  not  cost  us 
much,  and  it  did  a  great  deal  no  doubt  to  encourage  the 
workers. 

While  strolling  along  one  day  at  the  front  of  the 
caravan,  I  suddenly  came  up  with  three  huge  animals, 


ROAD  THROUGH  UGANDA  FOREST. 


which  I  thought  at  first  sight  were  buffalo,  but  which 
proved  to  be  elan.  These  magnificent  animals  are  dying 
out  very  rapidly  in  Eastern  Equatorial  Africa.  The  cattle 
plague  of  a  few  years  ago  caused  great  destruction  amongst 
them,  and  it  is  quite  a  rare  thing  to-day  to  see  an  elan, 
at  any  rate  in  Uganda.  These,  consisted  of  a  very  large 
bull,  with  a  fine  pair  of  horns,  and  two  cows.  I  did  not 
fire  at  them,  and  they  soon  disappeared  in  the  thicket  as 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


151 


we  came  into  view.  We  next  came  to  a  small  village 
inhabited  by  a  few  Waganda  and  Wanyuro.  They  were 
extremely  kind,  giving  my  porters  most  gladly  plenty  of 
food,  and  providing  me  with  fowls  and  potatoes  directly 
I  arrived  amongst  them. 

And  now  my  little  dog  Sally  came  much  into  prominence. 
I  have  already  stated  that  she  was  a  poodle,  and  as  I  had 
not  troubled  to  shave  her,  she  had  very  long  black  curly 
hair,  almost  down  to  the  ground.  When  the  natives  of 
this  village  saw  her  they  took  a  great  fright,  and  declared 
that  a  "little  devil"  had  come  with  the  v;hite  man. 
When  I  heard  that  this  report  had  spread  amongst  them 
I  called  the  chief,  and  explained  to  him  that  it  was  a  dog 
from  Europe,  and  then  a  large  crowd  came  round  to  see 
Sally  perform.  First  I  made  her  stand  upright,  like  a 
soldier,  with  a  stick  for  a  gun,  then  beg,  and  next  hold  a 
stick  in  her  mouth,  being  dressed  up  in  a  cap  and  a  small 
coat,  then  smoke  a  pipe.  This  last  quite  overcame  then], 
and  they  immediately  looked  upon  Sally  as  an  individual 
of  great  distinction,  and  the  women  went  away  to  collect 
presents  for  the  strange  visitor.  All  kinds  of  food  were 
brought  to  the  fortunate  Sally,  who  seemed  most  thoroughly 
to  realise  her  importance.  One  old  woman  went  so  far 
as  to  actually  greet  her  in  Luganda  quite  solemnly. 
When  Sally  curled  herself  up  and  went  to  sleep  she 
looked  just  like  a  black  ball,  and  on  more  than  one 
occasion  natives  have  asked  me  "  which  end  barks." 

As  we  marched  for  about  six  hours  each  day,  we  usually 
rested  at  noon  in  some  nice  shady  spot,  where  we  made 
a  fire  and  boiled  water  for  tea.  Packed  away  in  my 
luncheon  basket  was  always  a  cold  boiled  fowl,  placed 
there  by  my  cook,  and  this,  together  with  a  roast  sweet 
potato  cooked  in  the  ashes  of  the  fire,  comprised  my 
midday  meal.  The  boys  and  porters  also  indulged  their 
appetites  in  a  similar  way,  sometimes   with  antelope 


152 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


steak,  at  others  with  guinea  fowl  or  partridge,  which  I 
had  been  able  to  shoot  for  them  during  the  day. 

Half  way  to  Toro  w^e  came  to  Lwekula's  country,  a 
very  big  chief,  and  an  avowed  Koman  Catholic.  His 
under-chief s  also  followed  his  example,  and  the  whole 
district  was  nominally  Roman  Catholic.  Whether  or  no 
these  people  had  been  taught  to  ignore  and  be  rude  to  a 
Protestant  missionary  I  cannot  say,  but  they  certainly 
received  me  very  badly,  speaking  most  rudely  to  me. 

When  I  asked  them  to  sell  us  food  they  absolutely 
refused  to  do  so.    ''We  are  Bafransa  "  (followers  of  the 

French),  they  said,  "and  Pere  is  our  teacher,  and  when 

he  comes  to  us  we  will  cook  food  for  him  and  give  him  all 
he  needs,  but  we  shall  not  give  or  sell  you  anything."  I 
said,  "Very  well,  we  will  simply  sleep  here  to-night,  eat 
wiiat  little  food  we  have  with  us,  and  go  on  to-morrow." 
I  then  asked  for  a  house  in  which  I  might  spend  the 
night,  and  they  took  me  to  a  deserted  hut  just  outside  the 
village,  with  broken  roof,  and  dirty  in  the  extreme.  I 
will  not  speak  of  its  inhabitants  of  the  insect  tribe,  but  I 
only  say  that  I  was  obliged  to  sit  with  my  legs  on  the 
top  of  a  tin  box  so  as  to  touch  the  floor  as  little  as 
possible. 

When  I  had  got  the  hut  into  a  little  better  condition, 
with  boxes  stacked  together  in  the  middle,  and  my 
bed  made,  I  went  off  to  visit  some  of  the  people. 
I  soon  found  that  I  could  get  on  much  better  with 
individuals  than  with  crowds.  In  one  house  which  I 
visited  I  saw^  a  little  baby  boy  playing  with  a  kind  of 
rattle  made  from  a  hollow  gourd  with  small  dried  beans 
inside.  I  immediately  took  the  little  fellow  in  my  arms, 
and  began  chatting  and  playing  with  him,  and  it  was 
astonishing  what  a  wonderful  effect  this  had  upon  the 
mother,  who  was  heard  to  exclaim  to  another  woman, 
"  Well,  did  you  ever  see  such  grace  as  this,  a  white  man 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


153 


nursing  a  black  baby  !  "  I  then  spoke  to  the  mother  and 
the  other  people  who  were  in  the  hut,  and  they  became 
quite  friendly.  Presently  the  woman  of  the  house  said 
to  me,  "  Would  you  like  me  to  cook  you  some  food?  "  I 
thanked  her,  and  she  promised  to  do  so,  telling  me  to 
send  my  boy  round  in  an  hour's  time.  In  this  way  I 
earned  my  dinner,  and  the  dinner  of  my  men  also,  for 
after  visiting  a  few  more  houses  and  making  friends  with 
the  people,  several  large  baskets  of  cooked  food  were 
brought  to  me.  The  chief  finally  altered  his  attitude 
towards  me,  and  in  the  early  dawn  came  at  the  head  of 
quite  a  little  arm}'  of  boys  and  girls  all  carrying  baskets 
of  food  for  the  European.  As  a  reward  I  gave  him  a 
little  cloth  and  a  Xew  Testament,  with  both  of  which  he 
was  delighted,  especially  with  the  Testament,  as  he  could 
read,  and  was  very  keen  to  be  the  proud  possessor  of  a 
book. 

On  the  tenth  morning  a  little  excitement  was  occasioned 
among  us  by  discovering  that  the  cows,  which  I  had 
brought  with  me  from  Uganda,  had  disappeared.  I  had 
engaged  two  men,  natives  of  Ankole,  who  were 
recommended  to  me  as  being  thoroughly  trustworthy, 
but  with  whom  I  could  not  hold  much  conversation, 
on  account  of  their  dialect,  to  look  after  the  cows  ;  I  soon 
found  out  that  these  fellows  had  proved  false,  and  had 
made  off  with  my  cows  towards  their  own  country,  which 
was  only  one  day's  journey  away.  We  at  once  commenced 
a  search,  and  after  about  two  hours  we  found  footprints 
leading  in  quite  a  different  direction  from  the  one  we  were 
taking.  My  big  man,  Mika,  said  not  a  word,  but  threw 
off  his  bark-cloth,  seized  a  stick,  and  started  off  at  a  full 
swinging  run  along  the  narrow  track  caused  by  the 
passing  of  the  cattle.  Two  or  three  of  the  other  boys 
followed  him,  but  he  completely  out-distanced  them.  I 
stood  on  a  high  hill  watching  him,  and  for  fully  three 


154 


LV  DWARF  LAND. 


miles  Mika  kept  up  the  fastest  trot  I  have  ever  seen, 
never  once  stopping  to  take  breath.  At  last,  in  the 
distance,  I  could  just  see  a  tiny  speck  jogging  up  and 
down,  and  then  he  disappeared  altogether.  I  was  just 
about  to  camp  for  the  night,  when  I  heard  the  bellowing 
of  cow^s  a  long  w^ay  off,  and  I  knew  that  my  faithful  friend 
had  got  back  my  lost  property.  The  two  cowanen  Mika 
had  in  safe  custody,  and  when  I  examined  them  the  only 
thing  they  could  say  W' as,  that  they  did  not  intend  stealing 
them,  but  had  taken  them  to  water.  I  pointed  out  how 
absurd  it  w^as  to  talk  of  taking  them  for  water  all  that 
way,  when  there  was  plenty  of  water  at  hand.  It  ended 
by  my  cutting  their  pay,  and  sending  them  off  about  their 
business,  and  they  were  glad  enough  to  get  off  so 
easily. 

We  now  entered  Unyuro,  and  had  several  days'  journey 
through  this  country  before  we  reached  the  capital  of 
Toro.  There  w^ere  very  few  villages  indeed,  and  for  tw^o 
days  our  men  w^ere  unable  to  buy  food.  The  second  day 
we  should  have  fared  badly  had  we  not  again  had  good 
fortune.  We  came  to  a  small  pond,  and  while  sitting 
down  there  to  rest,  two  wild  ducks  began  to  circle  round 
overhead,  and  these  I  was  able  to  bring  dow^n  with  my 
gun.  xlfter  a  little  while  the  porters  one  by  one  went 
into  the  w^ater,  and  began  catching  fish — a  large  swamp 
fish  very  much  like  that  which  is  called  by  schoolboys  a 
"miller's  thumb,"  only  three  times  the  size.  To  catch 
these  the  porters  in  a  surprisingly  short  space  of  time 
made  small  nets  from  the  plaited  grass,  and  I  was 
astonished  beyond  measure  to  see  the  great  quantity  they 
caught  ;  each  man  must  have  possessed  himself  of  at  least 
2  lbs.  weight  of  this  fish.  After  the  catching  came 
the  cooking  and  eating,  and  w^e  w^ere  obliged  to  pitch  our 
camp  quite  near  to  this  pond  that  had  so  wonderfully 
befriended  us  in  our  need. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


155 


On  July  lOtli,  we  reached  the  first  town  of  Toro, 
Mwenge.  We  had  been  walking  for  about  two  hours  that 
day,  when  two  young  men  came  running  to  me,  and  said 
that  the  prince  had  sent  them  to  see  me ;  being  a  relation 
of  the  king's,  the  chief  was  called  a  prince.  In  a  few 
moments  they  said,  "We  are  going  back,"  so  I  told 
them  to  see  the  prince  for  me,  and  away  they  went. 
They  had  no  sooner  gone  than  two  more  came  running 
up  and  saying  the  same  words,  and  then  returned  ;  others 
came,  doing  the  same  thing,  and  soon  there  w^as  a  steady 
stream  of  people  running  backwards  and  forwards 
between  the  prince  and  myself  ;  the  last  few  miles  quite 
blocking  the  road.  This  is  a  real  old-fashioned  custom  of 
the  Waganda,  when  a  chief  is  desirous  of  giving  a 
visitor  a  hearty  welcome ;  the  more  people  sent  the 
greater  is  the  estimated  joy  of  the  sender.  As  I  afterwards 
found,  this  prince  had  lived  some  years  as  a  boy  in  Uganda, 
and  had  thus  learned  this  custom  from  the  Waganda. 

At  last  I  saw  him  standing  on  the  top  of  a  hill 
awaiting  me  in  great  state — a  tall,  fine-looking  man,  with 
clean-cut  features,  dressed  in  a  spotlessly  white  robe, 
beautifully  worked  in  Indian  fashion,  with  a  large 
white  turban  on  his  head,  and  surrounded  by  his 
attendants.  As  he  greeted  me  he  removed  the  turban, 
and  made  a  most  graceful  bow,  and  then  stepped  forward 
with  outstretched  hands.  I  did  the  same,  and  we 
embraced  each  other  very  affectionately. 

Byakweyamba  was  his  name,  a  prince  of  the  house  of 
Toro.  In  his  younger  days  he  had  been  wounded  in  a 
battle,  and  was  consequently  lame,  but  a  more  aristocratic 
and  gentlemanly  fellow  I  never  met ;  he  was  one  of  Nature's 
gentlemen.  Somehow  or  other  he  had  heard  of  my 
approach,  and  had  prepared  a  great  feast  in  my  honour. 
Eight  or  ten  large  basketsful  of  boiled  plantains  were 
first  distributed  amongst  the  porters  and  boys,  together 


156 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


with  two  basketsfnl  of  cooked  meat,  for  he  had  kiUed  an 
ox  on  purpose.  Then  three  large  baskets  were  brought 
into  the  chief's  private  room,  and  put  on  the  floor  before 
me,  and  every  one  began  to  leave.  I  immediately  asked 
the  chief  and  his  head  boys  to  remain  and  eat  with  me, 
and  to  this  with  some  reluctance  they  agreed.  Clean 
leaves  were  then  strewn  about  the  floor  in  the  centre 
of  the  room,  and  on  to  these  was  cast  a  bright  yellow 
mass   of   steaming   hot  plantains ;  then   several  small 


HEARTY  RECEPTION,  TORO. 


earthenware  vessels  were  given  to  me,  each  one  containing 
some  kind  of  vegetable  prepared  with  butter  and  salt : 
one  like  mushrooms,  another  a  kind  of  vegetable  marrow, 
and  yet  another  much  like  spinach.  The  second  basket 
contained  meat  beautifully  cooked ;  this  was  divided 
amongst  the  guests,  and  a  special  pot  was  brought  to  me 
of  curried  meat.  The  third  basket  was  full  of  boiled 
sw^eet  potatoes.  Everything  was  spotlessly  clean,  and  w^e 
had  no  compunction  whatever  about  falling  to,  for  the 
state  of  my  appetite  forbade  much  reticence.  The  prince 
was  delighted  with  the  way  I  appreciated  the  food,  and 


/.V  DJJ\4RF  LAND. 


157 


offered  to  make  another  feast  in  the  evening  if  I  wished. 
I  thanked  him,  but  begged  to  be  excused ;  once  a  day  is 
quite  sufficient  for  any  man. 

Only  one  more  day's  journey  now  before  we  reached  the 
capital  of  Toro,  but  as  it  was  twenty-three  miles  we  left 
Mwenge  very  early  in  the  morning.  Byakweyamba  bade 
me  an  affectionate  farewell,  begging  me  to  come  again  and 
see  him  before  long,  and  this  I  promised  to  do. 

Monday,  July  13th,  we  reached  Kabarole,  the  capital  of 
Toro.  We  had  a  right  royal  reception,  not  to  say  a  most 
embarrassing  one.  Hundreds  of  people  flocked  to  meet 
me,  and  long  before  I  got  within  sight  of  the  capital 
a  number  of  the  king's  soldiers  came  running  towards  me, 
and  the  young  chief  who  was  in  command  when  he 
reached  me,  knelt  down  and  said,  The  king  has  sent  me 
to  see  you,"  and  when  I  asked  after  the  health  of  his 
Majesty  and  of  all  the  people  he  said,  "  Great  joy  is  going 
to  kill  us  all.""  One  messenger  brought  a  letter  to  me;  I 
must  give  the  literal  translation  : — 

To  Mr.  Lloyd.  How  do  you  do,  my  dear  friend  ?  I  love  you  very 
much  indeed.  I  greet  you  with  great  joy.  God  be  praised  I  He  has 
brought  you  here  .  .  .  and  this  letter  is  of  ^  ery  great  joy,  my  friend 
Goodbye,  sir  ;  God  be  with  you. — I  am  Victoria  the  Queen  Mother." 

Then  came  other  letters  of  similar  greeting  from  chiefs, 
&c.,  and  no  prince  could  have  had  a  more  lordly  welcome. 
As  I  climbed  the  hill  leading  to  the  king's  enclosure  all 
the  ladies  came  to  meet  me  ;  they  were  beautifully  dressed 
in  many-coloured  garments,  and  the  king"s  wife  was  in 
the  midst  of  the  crowd. 

The  road  was  cleared,  the  runners  standing  on  either 
side,  and  then  at  a  signal  from  the  queen  all  the  ladies 
walked  in  great  state  to  meet  me.  But  their  excitement 
seemed  to  get  the  better  of  them,  for  after  a  few  steps 
they  ran  at  full  speed,  and   the  queen  literally  threw 


158 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


herself  into  my  arms  according  to  the  native  custom. 
They  ah  chmg  to  me,  greeting  me  most  warmly,  and 
then  tm-ned  and  escorted  me  towards  the  King's  Hill. 
Presently  a  cry  arose,  The  king  is  coming!  "  and  in  a 
moment  all  fell  back,  leaving  me  standing  alone  in  the 
middle  of  the  road,  and  I  saw  at  a  little  distance  the 
king,  the  queen  mother,  and  my  future  colleague,  Mr. 
A.  B.  Fisher,  waiting  to  receive  me.  All  round  was  the 
king's  bodyguard,  Watoro  warriors  armed  with  guns, 
and  looking  very  smart  in  their  white  tunics  and  dark  blue 
putties.  Kasagama  came  forward  to  meet  me,  clasping 
me  in  his  arms  and  hugging  me  several  times  ;  Fisher  and 
I  exchanged  greetings  and  then  turned  towards  the 
temporary  house  built  for  my  occupation,  the  huge  crowd 
of  now  some  hundreds  following  us  to  the  door,  and  then, 
amid  great  shouting  and  rejoicing,  dispersed. 


1 


CHAPTEK  VIII 


TORO 

Brief  history  of  Toro — Kasagama — Developments  in  Toro — Liberation 
of  slaves — Ruwenzori,  Mountains  of  the  INIoon — Attending  the  sick 
— I  build  a  dispensary — Wanted,  a  hospital — Leopards  of  Toro — A 
midnight  scare — Lions— The  little  hero — The  Watoro — Toro  customs 
— Teeth-breaking— Burning  "  Njoka  "  —  Cupping — Drinking  parties. 

TOKO  has  existed  as  an  independent  kingdom  for 
many  centuries,  and  according  to  tradition  has  been 
governed  by  numerous  kings.  It  is  said  that  the  Watoro 
migrated  from  Bukedi,  the  country  situated  to  the  north 
of  Uganda,  and  that  the  founder  of  the  nation  and  the 
first  king  was  Lwanyantoro  Lukedi.  Disagreement,  how- 
ever, occurred  soon  after  they  had  settled  in  the  country 
to  the  west  of  Uganda,  and  Lurega,  a  man  of  great  m- 
fluence,  rebelled  against  Lwanyantoro  Lukedi,  and  then  a 
long  war  was  carried  on,  which  finally  ended  in  dividing 
up  the  country  into  two  kingdoms ;  that  to  the  north  was 
called  Unyoro,  and  was  governed  by  Lurega,  and  that  to 
the  south  was  held  by  Lwanyantoro  Lukedi.  After  the 
division  of  the  two  countries  peace  reigned  through  the 
land  for  long  years,  and  no  trouble  existed,  excepting  that 
which  came  from  Uganda,  for  the  King  of  Uganda  always 
made  Toro  and  Unyoro  his  own  raiding  ground,  and  from 
thence  came  all  the  slaves  of  the  Waganda. 

At  last  a  big  chief,  Kaba  Kega  by  name,  was  made  King 
of  Unyoro.    He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  ability  as  a 

159 


i6o  LV  DWARF  LAND. 

general,  and  very  soon  commenced  to  look  round  to  see 
how  he  might  extend  the  domains  of  his  kingdom.  He 
saw  that  Toro  was  governed  by  a  man  named  Nyeka,  a 
very  poor  specimen,  who  was  but  little  esteemed  by  his 
people,  and  so  Kaba  Eega  sent  off  a  very  big  army  to  try 
and  capture  Toro  ;  at  first  he  failed,  but  finally  succeeded. 
Kasagama,  the  son  of  Nyeka,  King  of  Toro,  then  quite 


KASAGAMA,  KING  OF  TORO. 


a  boy,  fled  to  Ankole  for  his  life,  knowing  that  Kaba  Eega 
would  kill  him,  being  a  prince,  if  he  were  caught.  He 
was  also  joined  by  Byakweyamba,  w^ho  was  a  prince  of 
the  house  of  Toro. 

For  a  time  the  young  princes  remained  in  seclusion 
with  a  few  dependants,  and  with  Kasagama' s  mother,  and 
finally  journeyed  to  Uganda  and  were  well  treated  by  the 
King. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


i6i 


When  Colonel  (then  Captain)  Lu^^ard  made  his  notable 
journey  westward  in  search  of  the  Soudanese  left  behind 
by  Emin  Pasha,  and  to  mark  out  the  western  frontier 
of  the  Protectorate,  he  took  with  him  Kasagama  and 
Byakweyamba,  made  the  former  king  of  Toro  and  the  latter 
of  jNIwenge,  a  large  province  to  the  east  of  Toro,  which  has 
since  been  amalgamated  \vith  Toro  proper.  A  number  of 
forts  were  built  throughout  Toro,  and  Soudanese  troops 
left  at  each  to  protect  the  country  from  the  raids  that 
were  constantly  made  by  Kaba  l\ega,  for  although  he  was 


QUEEN  MOTHER  OF  TOKO. 


driven  from  the  country  by  Lugard's  column  he  still 
remained  hostile,  and  determined  if  possible  to  recapture 
the  country,  but  so  well  did  these  Soudanese  do  their 
work  that  he  failed  upon  every  attempt.  He  at  last  gave 
up  the  hope  of  ever  being  able  to  again  possess  Toro  as 
part  of  his  kingdom. 

While  in  Uganda  Kasagama  had  learned  the  Uganda 
language  and  had  also  acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of  the 
customs,  and  when  he  became  King  of  Toro  his  first 
desire  was  to  establish  there  a  system  of  government 

12 


l62 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


similar  to  that  which  exists  in  Uganda  at  the  present 
day,  that  of  dependent  chieftainship.  When  I  arrived  in 
Toro  it  was  soon  very  obvious  to  me,  that  his  effort  to 
imitate  this  system  of  chieftainship  had  been  successful, 
and  that  he  had  by  this  means  a  very  fair  hold  upon  the 
country  as  a  whole. 

Several  months  before  I  reached  Toro  Kasagama  had 
again  visited  Uganda,  partly  to  answer  some  political 
charges  made  against  him  and  also  to  find  out  for  himself 
more  about  Christianity,  of  which  he  had  heard  a  little 
from  the  Uganda  teachers  sent  some  twelve  months  pre- 
viously. While  in  Mengo  he  was  baptized  and  took  the 
name  of  David,  and  upon  his  return  he  commenced  in 
real  earnest  to  try  and  act  as  a  Christian  king  should.  In  a 
letter  he  wrote  to  "  the  Elders  of  the  Church  in  Europe  " 
he  says  :  "  God  our  Father  gave  me  the  kingdom  of  Toro, 
to  reign  over  for  Him,  therefore  I  write  to  you,  my 
brethren,  to  beseech  you  to  remember  me,  and  to  pray  for 
me  every  day.  ...  I  praise  my  Lord  very  much  indeed 
for  the  w^ords  of  the  gospel  He  brought  into  my  country, 
and  you  I  thank  for  sending  teachers  to  come  here  to 
teach  us  such  beautiful  words.  I  therefore  tell  you  that 
I  want  very  much,  God  giving  me  strength,  to  arrange  all 
the  matters  of  this  country  for  Him  only,  that  all  my 
people  may  understand  that  Christ  Jesus,  He  is  the  Saviour 
of  all  countries,  and  that  He  is  the  King  of  all  kings." 
Being  most  thoroughly  in  earnest  to  do  as  he  says, 
"  let  his  people  know,"  he  at  once  upon  his  return  to  Toro 
built  a  fine  church  in  which  they  might  worship  God. 
He  also  set  about  building  a  house  for  a  European  teacher. 

When  w^e  reached  Toro  we  found  the  large  church  well 
advanced,  and  the  house  in  which  my  colleague  and  I 
were  to  live  nearly  completed,  and  quite  a  number  of 
people  who  could  already  read  the  Gospels. 

A  European  officer.  Captain  Sitwell,  was  stationed  in 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


163 


Toro  when  we  arrived,  whose  duty  it  was  to  put  the 
country  in  working  order  and  to  help  Kasagama  in 
every  way  possible  so  that  he  might  exercise  his  power 
as  king. 

Every  Monday  morning  Kasagania's  "  baraza  "  was  held. 
This  was  the  great  court  function  of  the  week,  when  the 
King  sat  in  state  upon  his  throne  with  all  his  chiefs 


A  DISTANT  VIEW  OF  MOUNTAINS  OF  THE  INIOON. 

gathered  round  him  in  conference,  and  when  any  political 
cases  were  to  be  tried,  judgments  being  given  by  the  King. 
One  interesting  announcement  was  made  by  the  King  in 
''baraza"  soon  after  our  arrival  in  the  country,  viz.,  that 
if  there  were  any  slaves  in  the  country  who  wished  to 
obtain  their  freedom  they  were  at  liberty  at  once  to  apply 
for  it.  Some  fifty  Waganda  women  slaves  immediately 
came  forward  and  were  released  and  returned  to  Uganda 


164 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


under  proper  escort.  Thus  at  the  commencement  of  his 
reign  Kasagama  proved  that  he  was  desirous  of  estabhsh- 
ing  Christian  rule  in  his  countr5^ 

So  much  has  akeady  been  written  by  others  about 
Kuwenzori,  or  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon,  situated  to  the 
west  of  Toro,  that  I  need  say  but  httle.  Its  massive 
grandeur,  with  gHstening  peaks,  towering  for  18,000  feet 
above  the  sea-level ;  the  gloriously  snowy  twin  cones  and 
the  magnificent  Gordon  Bennett  Mountain  w4th  its  huge 
base  stretching  from  south  to  north  some  fifty  miles, 
rugged  and  broken.  Once  seen  the  impression  made  will 
never  be  forgotten.  Undoubtedly  one  of  the  chief  sources 
of  the  great  river  Nile,  Buwenzori's  melted  snows  have  for 
centuries  past  provided  Egypt  with  its  sustenance,  and  the 
tiny  rivulets  rushing  down  the  mountain-sides  from  the 
eternal  snows,  broadening  out  upon  the  plains  into  great 
rivers,  and  emptying  themselves  either  into  the  Albert 
Edward  Lake,  or  into  the  Semliki  river,  have  ever  been 
the  channels  of  mercy  to  that  thirsty  land  of  the  Pharaohs. 

As  soon  as  I  had  settled  down  in  the  capital  I  offered  to 
do  wdiat  I  could  to  help  those  w^ho  were  suffering  from 
any  kind  of  disease.  I  had  with  me  a  small  supply  of 
drugs  in  tablet  form,  with  iodoform,  boracic  and  antiseptic 
dressings  ;  but  I  had  not  bargained  for  the  great  rush  that 
was  immediately  made  upon  me.  The  first  day  fifty  sick 
folk  came,  and  each  day  this  number  gradually  increased, 
until  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight  no  less  than  tw^o  hundred 
people  w^ere  coming  to  me  to  be  attended  to.  A  great 
majority  of  the  cases,  however,  were  ulcers  and  wounds  of 
various  kinds.  My  drug  store  was  a  very  limited  one  and 
could  not  hold  out  many  days  with  such  tremendous 
claims  upon  it.  Little  by  little  it  disappeared,  and  I  had 
nothing  left  to  give  out  to  the  poor  sufferers  w^ho  came  to 
me.  An  order  w^as  sent  off  to  England  for  a  fresh  supply, 
but  at  least  a  year  must  elapse  before  it  could  possibly  reach 


/-\'  n]]'ARF  LAXD. 


165 


lis.  Still  they  came,  as  many  as  two  hundred  and  fifty  in 
one  day,  and  the  great  cry  was  :  "  We're  dead,  we're  dead, 
give  us  medicine,  give  us  medicine!"  As  a  last  resource 
we  hunted  up  all  kinds  of  old  newspapers  and  periodicals, 
and  to  every  one  suffering  with  ulcers  and  wounds  we  dis- 
tributed little  squares  of  paper.  We  told  them  it  would 
not  heal  them,  but  it  would  at  least  keep  the  dirt  out,  and 
they  were  delighted  beyond  measure.  Old  gentlemen 
would  be  seen  going  away  with  httle  bits  of  the  Times 
newspaper  sticking  to  them,  in  fact  quite  a  new^  field  for 


SICK  FOLK. 


journalism  was  opened  up  in  Central  Africa.  Fresh  sup- 
phes  of  drugs  came  before  we  expected  them,  however, 
and  we  were  then  able  to  carry  on  the  healing  work,  and 
the  real  gratitude  of  the  poor  creatures  that  came  to  us — 
some  suffering  most  awful  agonies— was  most  touching, 
and  inspired  us  to  do  our  very  best  for  them.  After  a 
little  while  I  built  a  small  dispensary  in  the  Mission  com- 
pound in  which  the  patients  might  sit  as  they  waited  for 
treatment.  It  was  astonishing  to  me  to  find  how  nuich 
I  could  help  these  sufferers  with  such  a  limited  amount  of 


IN  DJVARF  LAND. 


inedical  knowledge  at  iny  command.  Sometimes  opera- 
tions were  performed,  and  then  it  was  that  one  found  out 
to  what  an  enormous  extent  the  Watoro  could  bear  pain. 
From  one  man's  leg  I  removed  a  piece  of  bone  eight 
inches  long,  making  an  incision  of  five  inches,  tying  up 
arteries  and  veins,  and  finally  stitching  up  the  wound,  and 
all  this  done  without  chloroform,  or  even  cocaine,  and  the 
poor  fellow  never  flinched  the  whole  time  and  never 
uttered  a  sound.  A  woman  had  a  cancerous  growth 
under  the  arm,  and  this  I  removed  without  the  use  of  any 


TOEO  DISPENSARY. 


kind  of  anaesthetic.  Both  of  these  were  absolute  cures. 
Another  man  had  a  bullet  deeply  imbedded  in  his  chest, 
and  this  was  extracted  successfully ;  dislocated  joints  and 
shattered  limbs,  snake  bites  and  spear  wmmds,  were  all 
attended  to,  and  great  was  the  rejoicing  among  the  people 
when  a  chief  of  distmction  in  the  country  thought  to  be 
dying  by  the  native  medicine  men  was  brought  to  life 
and  health  once  more  by  the  European's  drugs. 

The  number  of  patients  seemed  to  increase  every 
day,  and  cases  were  brought  in  from  long  distances. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


One  poor  woman  was  carried  six  days'  journey  on  a 
rough  stretcher,  to  be  treated  for  dysentery,  and  when 
such  cases  as  these  were  brought  to  us  w^e  were  at  our 
wits'  end  to  know  where  to  put  the  patient,  for  it  was 
impossible  for  them  to  return  at  once.  To  overcome  this 
difficulty  small  huts  were  built  close  to  the  Mission  com- 
pound and  allotted  to  those  patients  who  were  unable  to 
return  to  their  homes,  and  quite  a  little  settlement  sprang 
up  on  the  waste  ground  close  to  our  houses.  Each  day 
after  attending  to  the  out-patients  I  visited  these  huts 
to  do  what  I  could  for  the  occupants. 

But  a  hospital  was  sadly  needed  and  a  qualified 
medical  man  to  do  the  work,  for  of  course  many  were 
the  cases  brought  to  me  for  which  I  was  unable  to  do 
anything.  The  king,  when  approached  upon  this  subject, 
readily  gave  a  plot  of  ground  for  the  hospital,  but  up  to 
the  present  time  nothing  has  been  done  towards  rearing 
the  building.  Each  morning,  before  any  drugs  are  given 
out,  a  short  service  is  held  in  the  dispensary,  and  most 
encouraging  have  been  the  results  of  this  work.  Several 
young  men  who  were  successfully  treated  offered  them- 
selves as  teachers,  and  one  in  particular  who  I  remember 
went  off  in  this  capacity  to  a  tribe  of  people  called 
the  Wakonjo,  who  Hve  right  up  the  great  mountain  of 
Kuwenzori. 

We  had  not  resided  long  in  Toro  before  we  became 
acquainted  with  the  fact  of  the  presence  of  lions  and 
leopards  in  the  district.  Great  excitement  was  caused 
one  day  about  6  p.m.  by  the  appearance  in  the  centre  of 
the  capital  of  a  huge  leopard.  The  Watoro,  who  are  not 
noted  for  their  excessive  bravery,  immediately  rushed  into 
their  houses  and  barred  the  doors,  and  that  night  no  one 
ventured  outside. 

However,  in  the  early  morning  a  great  cry  arose  from 
the  King's  Hill,  and  we  hastened  out  to  discover  the 


t68 


LY  DWARF  LAND. 


cause.  The  story  was  soon  told  ;  the  leopard  had  in  some 
mysterious  way  managed  to  get  into  the  king's  enclosure ; 
there  it  had  w^andered  about  until  it  came  to  an  unpro- 
tected house  where  about  fifty  men  and  boys  w^ere  sleep- 
ing. It  deliberately  walked  into  the  house  and  looked 
about  until  it  found  a  young  lad  who  was  sleeping  between 
two  men,  seized  him  by  the  throat,  and  before  he  could 
utter  a  cry  strangled  him  and  carried  him  off  without  even 
w^aking  one  of  the  men,  and  it  was  not  until  the  early 
mornmg  that  the  tragedy  w^as  discovered.    The  leopard 


KIN(;'S  HILL,  KABAROLE. 

had  actually  stepped  over  the  bodies  of  several  men  and 
boys  who  w^ere  sleeping  on  the  floor,  as  the  footprints 
indicated,  without  even  disturbing  them.  Fisher  and  I 
immediately  set  off  to  try  and  recover  the  body  of  the 
unfortunate  boy,  and,  if  possible,  kill  the  leopard.  The 
former  we  were  able  to  do,  although  it  w^as  terribly 
mangled,  but  the  latter  kept  well  out  of  the  way. 

A  few  nights  afterwards  I  was  quietly  sleeping,  Fisher 
being  in  a  room  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  house,  when  I 
was  startled  to  hear  a  shout  from  Fisher  calling  to  me  to 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


come  to  him,  declaring  that  there  was  a  leopard  in  his  room. 
I  sprang  out  of  bed  and  seized  a  revolver  and  proceeded 
very  cautiously  in  the  dark  to  his  room.  Bang,  bang, 
bang,  went  my  friend's  revolver  as  I  approached,  and  I 
began  to  fear  lest  I  should  be  hit  in  the  excitement  of  the 
moment.  Then  all  was  still  and  I  procured  a  light. 
There  sat  my  friend  in  his  bed  with  an  empty  pistol  in  his 
hand,  but  wdiere  was  the  leopard  ?  When  we  looked 
round  we  found  that  the  door  leading  from  the  room  into 
the  garden  was  partly  open,  having  been  pushed  on  one 
side,  and  outside  there  were  numerous  footprints  of  the 
leopard.  Whether  the  beast  had  been  actually  in  the 
room  or  not  we  could  not  say  ;  probably  it  had,  and  if 
Fisher  had  not  heard  it,  that  moment  would  have  been 
his  last. 

The  Toro  people  are  so  much  afraid  of  these  animals 
that  they  seldom  hunt  them,  and  when  they  do,  it  is  only 
to  make  a  great  noise  and  frighten  them  away,  with  no 
idea  of  attempting  their  destruction.  The  leopards  being 
thus  unmolested  were  very  venturesome,  and  we  con- 
stantly had  them  prowling  about  our  premises,  and 
nearly  every  week  we  heard  of  some  one  being  carried 
off.  But  I  have  mentioned  the  lions  also.  These  are 
quite  as  numerous,  and  far  more  to  be  feared  than  the 
leopards.  They  never  go  about  singly,  and  frequently 
five  or  six  would  be  seen  together,  and  even  in  the  middle 
of  the  day,  in  lonely  parts,  these  terrible  creatures  will 
seize  their  prey. 

While  staying  in  one  of  the  suburbs  of  the  capital  I 
was  one  morning  called  up  by  the  chief  to  come  at  once 
and  shoot  a  lion  that  was  doing  great  damage  in  the 
district  and  had  just  killed  a  poor  woman  while  culti- 
vating her  garden.  She  w^as  stooping  down  pulling  up 
some  weeds  when  in  front  of  her  she  heard  the  awful 
roar  of  a  lion.    Looking  up  in  speechless  horror  she  saw 


170 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


in  the  grass  a  few  yards  away  a  huge  male  hon, 
apparently  about  to  spring  upon  her,  but  just  at  that 
moment  the  lioness,  which  had  crept  up  behind  her, 
sprang  out,  and  w^th  one  terrible  stroke  of  the  forepaw 
killed  her  where  she  stood,  and  then  carried  her  off  into 
the  thicket.  As  soon  as  I  heard  this  story  I  started  off 
with  a  couple  of  my  boys  to  hunt  the  lion  ;  but  although  I 
spent  the  wdiole  day  searching  never  a  lion  did  I  see. 
The  mangled  remains  of  the  poor  woman  we  discovered, 
but  the  lions  avoided  us.  However,  a  few  days  later 
a  party  of  native  hunters,  returning  from  their  day's 
hunt  after  small  antelope,  w^ere  attacked  by  the  same 
lions.  Walking  in  single  file  through  the  long  grass  on 
the  narrow  path,  the  man  at  the  end  of  the  line  was 
suddenly  seized  from  behind  by  the  lioness  and  instantly 
killed  and  carried  off.  The  rest  of  the  party  made  off 
with  all  haste,  excepting  one  little  boy,  the  son  of  the 
man  killed,  and  he,  amazingly  plucky  little  fellow  that  he 
is,  actually  turned  back,  and,  armed  with  nothing  but  a 
small  spear,  followed  the  blood-stained  track  through  the 
thicket.  After  a  little  while  he  came  upon  the  lioness  in 
the  act  of  devouring  his  father.  Without  a  moment's 
hesitation  this  brave  little  chap  rushed  at  the  huge  beast, 
and  the  lioness,  becoming  aware  of  his  approach,  left 
the  prey  and  sprang  upon  the  boy.  By  a  merciful  Pro- 
vidence the  spear  which  the  boy  carried  entered  its 
breast,  and  by  the  animal's  own  weight  was  forced  right 
into  its  body,  piercing  the  heart,  and  the  great  creature 
rolled  over  stone  dead.  The  boy  was  utterly  unharmed. 
Rapidly  withdraw^ing  his  little  weapon  he  went  and  knelt 
by  the  mangled  remains  of  his  father,  and  while  bending 
over  him  in  his  sorrow  the  male  lion  came  roaring 
through  the  thicket.  The  grief -stricken  lad  sprang  up 
and  with  almost  superhuman  courage  rushed  towards  the 
second  lion,  waving  aloft  his   bloodstained  spear  and 


IN  DWARF  LA  AW. 


171 


shouting,  "  Come  on,  come  on,  I'll  kill  you  also  !  " 
But  the  lion  was  so  discomfited  by  the  unexpected 
approach  of  the  lad  that  he  turned  tail  and  fled,  leaving 
his  partner  dead  by  the  side  of  her  mangled  prey.  The 
boy  then  went  home  to  his  village  and  called  his  friends 
to  come  and  bring  the  dead  lioness  to  the  king,  and  this 
was  done.    The  brave  little  fellow  was  suitably  rewarded 


THE  LIOX  KILLER  WITH  HIS  SPP:aR. 


by  Kasagama  for  his  wonderful  pluck,  and  he  made  him 
his  own  page. 

The  people  of  Toro  are  by  no  means  above  the  average 
African.  They  are  more  lazy  than  the  Waganda,  and 
are  satisfied  with  very  inferior  houses.  They  wear  skins 
roughly  prepared  in  place  of  the  bark  cloth,  which  they 
will  not  take  the  trouble  to  make.    They  are  dirty  to  a 


172 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


degree,  and  their  habits  are  most  degraded.  In  the 
country  districts  many  of  the  women  go  about  in  a  state 
of  nudity,  and  the  men  very  httle  better.  As  a  result  of 
their  uncleanly  habits  they  nearly  all  suffer  with  scabies 
and  many  malignant  diseases.  And  yet  there  is  some- 
thing good  in  their  composition.  They  are  very  warm- 
hearted and  impulsive,  and  when  once  enlightened  as  to 
better  things  they  are  most  anxious  to  improve. 

Many  of  the  customs  of  the  Watoro  are  most  bar- 
barous. For  instance,  they  have  an  extraordinary  prac- 
tice of  breaking  off  all  the  front  teeth  on  the  bottom  jaw. 
This  is  done  when  the  child  is  quite  young ;  indeed, 
as  soon  as  the  second  teeth  show  themselves  they  are 
broken  off  or  dragged  out  with  the  most  primitive  tools. 
The  chief  idea  seems  to  be  to  improve  the  looks  ;  and  if  to 
look  prematurely  old  is  their  great  aim,  it  is  certainly 
accomplished  by  this  custom,  but  it  is  a  thoroughly 
heathen  practice  and  causes  the  children  terrible  suffer- 
ing. It  has  also  had  the  effect  of  making  the  pronuncia- 
tion of  their  language  more  difficult.  Curious  lisps  are 
necessary  and  have  to  be  coped  with  to  make  oneself 
properly  understood. 

Burning,  too,  is  another  of  their  customs,  equally 
barbarous.  For  every  complaint  imaginabJe  this  is 
the  one  great  remedy  :  whether  it  be  headache,  stomach 
ache,  or  chest  trouble,  burning  is  always  resorted  to 
at  once.  A  piece  of  rough  iron  is  made  red  hot 
in  the  fire,  and  then  pressed  upon  the  bare  skin  about 
the  spot  where  the  pain  exists.  I  have  seen  men 
with  burns  reaching  to  the  bone,  little  children  whose 
heads  are  one  mass  of  horrible  scabs  as  a  result  of  this 
practice.  Chest  complaints  are  very  common  amongst 
them,  and  nearly  everybody  one  meets  has  old  scars 
covering  his  chest,  where  he  has  been  burnt  from  time  to 
time.    I  believe  the  old  idea  is  that  all  pain  is  caused  by 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


173 


some  evil  spirit  dwelling  in  the  part,  and  if  fire  is 
brought  to  bear  upon  that  place  the  evil  spirit  leaves. 

Pains  in  the  chest  and  stomach  are  always  called 
''Njoka"  (snakes),  and  the  natives  firmly  believe  that  it 
is  one  of  these  live  creatures  moving  about  within  that 
causes  the  pain.  A  man  suffering  from  mdigestion  once 
told  me  that  an  Xjoka  resided  in  his  stomach,  and  from 


TYPlCAl,  TOKO  HUT. 


time  to  time  made  its  way  up  as  far  as  his  throat,  and 
then,  just  as  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  catch  hold  of  it 
and  draw  it  out,  it  returned  to  the  lower  regions. 

Cupping  is  also  largely  resorted  to  when  fever  is  the 
trouble,  and  sometimes  I  have  seen  at  least  half  a  pint  of 
blood  drawn  from  a  man's  head.  The  wide  end  of  a 
cow's  horn  is  pressed  upon  the  part,  which  has  previously 
been  lacerated  with  a  sharp  knife,  and  then  through  a 


174 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


hole  in  the  side  of  the  hoin  the  air  is  sucked  and  the 
smaU  hole  in  the  side  blocked  up,  so  that  the  suction  con- 
tinues and  the  blood  is  thus  drawn  off  in  great  quantities. 

Another  very  curious  old  custom,  scarcely  ever  practised 
at  the  present  day,  still  not  entirely  unknown  in  the 
country,  w^as  in  vogue  in  case  of  war.  If  a  tribe  living 
near  threatened  to  attack  the  people  of  Toro  they  would 
send  a  woman  whose  breast  had  been  cut,  together  with 
two  sheep  or  two  cows,  to  the  hostile  tribe  as  a  peace- 
offering. 

Great  feasts  and  drinking  parties  w^ere  always  organised 
by  the  king  at  the  new  moons,  being  held  in  the  king's 
"  lubiri  "  (enclosure),  and  all  the  big  chiefs  w^ere  expected 
to  attend,  when  drum-beating  and  blowing  of  horns  and 
dancing  w^ere  the  order  of  the  day.  These  drinking 
parties  are  the  great  festivals  of  the  Watoro.  The  beer 
is  made  from  the  banana  juice,  fermented  with  a  small 
millet.  About  6  p.m.  the  drums  begin  to  beat  within 
a  chief's  enclosure,  announcing  to  all  that  there  is  to  be  a 
great  drinking  bout  that  night.  The  friends  and  neigh- 
bours of  the  chief  all  flock  together,  young  and  old  alike, 
men  and  women.  The  beer  is  kept  in  large  gourds,  each 
one  containing  several  gallons.  Perhaps  ten  of  these 
gourds  will  be  provided,  or  if  he  be  a  big  chief  twenty,  or 
even  thirty,  are  set  before  the  guests.  The  men  sit  in 
groups,  and  to  each  group  is  given  a  calabash,  or  gourd  of 
Maruwa,  as  it  is  called.  Small  cups,  also  made  from  the 
gourds,  are  handed  round,  and  W'hen  the  chief  has  taken 
the  first  drink  all  follow  suit  and  the  festivities  commence. 
Needless  to  say,  the  end  of  such  parties  as  these  is  the 
indulgence  in  all  the  evil  passions  of  human  nature, 
fighting  and  murder,  lasciviousness  and  w^anton  wicked- 
ness. Devil  dances  of  a  most  disgusting  character, 
witchcraft,  and  fetishism  are  all  practised  upon  these 
occasions,  and  it  is  at  such  times  that  one  sees  the  utter 


/X  nUWRI'  LA XI). 


175 


degradation  of  heathenism  ;  and  yet  some  people  wiH  say, 
"Oh,  leave  them  alone  ;  they  are  happy  enough  in  their 
blindness."  If  heathenism,  immorality,  and  sin  had 
been  left  untouched  in  our  own  country,  \Yhere  once 
upon  a  time  it  was  rampant,  the  British  flag  would  not 


C.M.S.  MISSIO^'  STATION,  TORO. 


be  to  the  world  what  it  is  to-day,  the  emblem  of  a 
Christian  Government.  Wherever  our  good  flag  flies 
darkness  and  heathenism  must  be  dispersed.  It  is 
Britain's  glory  that  she  exists  as  a  nation  "  to  right 
the  WTongs  of  suffering  humanity  and  to  establish  peace 
on  earth." 


CHAPTER  IX 


A  TRAMP  INTO  THE  UNKNOAYN 


Footprints  of  the  lions — Snake  in  the  grass — Ravages  of  the  lions — A 
narrow  escape — Dry  and  thirsty  land — I  meet  the  Captain — The 
Soudanese  guard — Following  the  compass — Hunting  water-buck — 
Between  heaven  and  earth — A  fine  specimen — A  picturesque  camp- 
Elephants — Carving  our  way — Up  a  tree — Patience  rewarded  — 
Tropical  vegetation — The  Captain  and  I  part  company — We  camp  in 
the  wilderness — Mount  Edwin  Arnold — Mpanga  river— A  hostile  people 
— Heathen  sacrifice — Home  again  to  Toro. 


OT  being  content  to  follow  merely  in  the  footsteps 


1^  of  other  men  in  Africa,  and  to  keep  to  the  old  beaten 
tracks,  I  took  a  most  interesting  journey  through  the 
south-eastern  portion  of  Toro,  which  might  well  be 
described  as  a  tramp  into  the  unknown. 

I  left  the  capital  of  Toro  with  a  few  strong  porters  for 
my  things  and  the  biggest  of  my  boys,  including  my 
faithful  old  friend  Mika.  It  was  a  glorious  morning,  and 
as  we  set  off  on  this  another  tramp,  one  felt  a  kind  of 
exhilaration  of  freedom  which  can  be  experienced  nowhere, 
but  in  Africa.  Our  road  lay  to  the  south,  and  we  had 
the  advantage  of  a  fine,  wide,  well-kept  road  for  some 
little  distance.  On  each  side  of  the  path  was  a  high  wall 
of  tiger  grass  10  to  15  feet,  which  completely  shut  out  the 
view,  and  we  felt  something  like  the  Pygmies  must  do 
as  they  tramp  through  their  mighty  forest. 


176 


AV  DJVARF  LAX/). 


^77 


We  soon  became  aware  that  the  path  had  been  recently 
traversed  by  other  strangers,  for  there  were  huge  foot- 
prints right  along,  conspicuous  among  them  being  the 
elephant's.  But  by  a  little  close  inspection  we  found 
that  there  were  scores  of  lion  footprints.  I  loaded  my 
gun,  and  we  had  to  walk  close  together,  as  they  w^ere 
evidently  in  the  near  vicinity.  Presently  I  w^as  startled 
by  the  unexpected  appearance  of  a  large  puff  adder  just 
in  the  path,  not  a  yard  in  front  of  us.  It  was  coiled  up 
in  some  dead  cut  grass,  and  fortunately  for  me  my  little 


A  TYPICAL  ROAD. 


dog,  who  was  at  my  heels  as  usual,  first  saw  it  and  gave  a 
short,  sharp  bark,  and  I  knew  that  something  w^as  wrong. 
At  that  moment  the  reptile  reared  its  head  close  before 
me.  I  was  too  much  taken  by  surprise  to  kill  it  and  it 
made  off  into  the  hio^li  g^rass. 

We  were  now  passing  through  entirely  uninhabited 
country,  and  the  path  was  still  covered  with  lion  spoor, 
and  we  expected  every  moment  to  meet  with  the  animals 
themselves.  Suddenly  a  boy  who  w^as  walking  a  little 
ahead  of  us  came  running  back ;  he  said  he  had  seen 

13 


1/8 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


some  lions,  and  there  was  something  lying  in  the  path- 
way. I  pressed  forward  w^ith  my  rifle  ready ;  there,  about 
fifty  yards  in  front,  I  saw  the  body  of  a  man  lying  across 
the  path.  I  hm-ried  up,  followed  closely  by  the  rest  of 
the  party.  The  man  w^as  quite  dead,  but  had  evidently 
only  been  so  a  very  short  time.  Footprints  were  all 
around,  and  blood  smeared  over  the  grass  in  the  vicinity, 
but  the  lions  were  nowhere  to  be  seen.  We  walked  slowdy 
on,  and  less  than  three  hundred  yards  further  on  we  came 
to  the  body  of  another  man,  frightfully  mauled  and  quite 
dead.  It  was  a  ghastly  sight,  and  made  us  wonder  who 
might  be  the  next  to  be  seized.  No  doubt  the  lions  were 
somewhere  near,  and  had  only  been  temporarily  fright- 
ened from  the  path  by  our  approach.  We  therefore  kept 
a  sharp  look-out  both  before  and  behind,  but  saw  nothing, 
and  after  about  four  hours'  w^alk  sat  down  by  one  of  the 
beautiful  mountain  streams,  cooked  some  food,  and 
generally  enjoyed  ourselves  for  half  an  hour. 

Another  four  hours  brought  us  to  a  very  large  village 
called  Butanuka,  w^hich  is  the  country  seat  of  the  Katikiro 
(Prime  Minister)  of  Toro.  We  were  most  heartily  wel- 
comed by  the  chief  and  the  people.  The  former  sent  me 
a  fine  goat  and  plenty  of  food.  After  an  excellent  meal 
and  a  little  chat  wdth  the  chief  and  the  people,  w^e  all 
retired,  I  to  my  little  tent  and  the  boys  and  porters  to 
the  native  huts. 

The  following  day  was  Sunday,  and  I  spent  it  amongst 
my  good  friends,  visiting  the  houses,  and  holding  services 
in  the  church,  which  the  Christians  had  built  for  them- 
selves. Two  young  Waganda  teachers  w^ere  working 
here  and  doing  really  good  service.  The  chief,  an 
avowed  Christian,  is  very  true  to  his  faith,  and  nothing 
seems  to  please  him  more  than  to  sit  with  his  Testament 
in  his  hand,  reading  the  Gospels  to  his  people  as  they 
gather  around  him.    Another  poor  woman  w^as  the  victim 


AV  DJVARF  LAXD. 


1/9 


of  the  lions  while  I  was  at  this  place.  She  had  fj^one  into 
the  garden  to  pick  some  bananas  for  the  midday  meal 
when  she  was  seized  and  devoured  within  sight  of  her 
companions.  One  man  who  saw  it  all  came  running 
into  the  village  giving  the  alarm,  and  a  large  number  of 
the  warriors  went  to  try  and  drive  the  lions  off.  There 
was  extraordinary  excitement  in  the  village,  and  every 
one  seemed  scared  and  frightened,  but  in  the  midst 
of  it  all  I  heard  some  little  boys  singing,  "  Go  to  Perati 
[French  priest]  and  he  will  give  you  a  medal,  but 
if  you  go  to  Lloyd  you  will  get  a  New  Testament."  I 
asked  one  of  the  little  chaps  if  he  knew  what  the  New- 
Testament  taught  us,  and  he  said,  "Yes,  I  do,  I  know" 
a  lot  about  it."  "  Tell  me  what  you  know,"  I  said,  and 
he  answered  very  promptly,  "  I  know  that  God  loves 
me,  because  He  says  so."  I  thought  that  if  every  man 
on  God's  earth  knew  even  that  much,  how  blessed  it 
would  be. 

The  next  morning  I  made  a  bold  resolve  to  hunt  the 
lions,  but  alas !  it  came  to  nothing,  for  they  w^ere  nowhere 
to  be  fo-md  ;  the  warriors  had  driven  them  right  away. 
We  had  a  tremendous  walk,  however,  following  up  one 
track  after  another,  with  always  the  same  result. 

I  had  one  narrow  escape  that  day,  about  which  I  must 
write.  Walking  in  front  of  the  men  and  boys  who  had 
followed  me,  I  heard  one  of  them  utter  a  most  awful  yell, 
and  turning  round  saw  them  all  running  away  into  the 
long  grass.  What  could  the  matter  be?  I  called  to  one  of 
them,  but  could  not  hear  what  he  said,  he  was  too  far  off. 
Another,  who  was  nearer  to  me,  seemed  too  much  startled 
to  speak  at  all.  So  I  walked  back  to  find  out  for  myself 
what  was  wrong.  The  cries  of  the  boys  became  louder 
and  I  found  out  that  it  was  a  snake  that  had  alarmed 
them.  I  laughed  and  was  passing  on,  when  they  called 
me  back.    ^Nlika,  who  by  this  time  had  caught  us  up  (he 


i8o 


l.y  PJVARF  LAND. 


having  been  some  distance  behind)  now  came  forward 
and  asked  where  the  snake  was.  One  of  the  men  pointed 
with  his  stick  to  the  very  track  in  the  grass  that  I  had 
made.  He  said  nothing,  but  with  his  eyes  ahnost  starting 
out  of  his  head  gazed  at  the  spot.  Mika  and  I  went 
forward  and  then — what  a  sight !  There,  coiled  up  in  a 
tuft  of  grass  and  partly  hidden  from  view,  was  the 
largest  snake  I  had  ever  seen.  It  was  a  pyth  .n.  The 
middle  of  its  body  was,  without  doubt,  a  foot  in  diameter, 
while  the  length  of  this  aw^ful  reptile  must  have  been  at 
least  20  feet.  Oh,  horrors  !  I  could  have  faced  a  lion 
without  blinking,  but  this  terrible  monster  made  me 
quake,  especially  when  I  found  that  I  had  put  my  foot 
down,  as  I  passed,  less  than  three  inches  from  its  head  ! 
As  Mika  approached  it  lifted  its  head,  and  made  a 
low,  curious  sound,  its  little  black  eyes  sparkling  like 
diamonds.  How  it  glared  at  us  I  I  almost  felt  its  fasci- 
nation. Brave  old  Mika,  never  afraid,  and  alw^ays  ready, 
saw^  in  a  moment  that  to  hesitate  wmild  be  fatal,  gave  me 
a  push  backwards,  and  lifting  the  big  knobstick  that  he 
was  carrying  rushed  at  it,  and  jumping  skilfally  to  one 
side  as  the  reptile  prepared  to  spring,  brought  down  the 
stick  like  a  sledge  hammer  right  in  the  middle  of  its  body, 
and  before  it  had  time  scarcely  to  move  he  was  round 
the  other  side  and  had  dealt  another  blow.  But  he 
might  as  well  have  slashed  away  at  a  huge  oak-tree  as  to 
try  and  make  much  impression  on  this  roll  of  muscle. 
Another  blow,  and  another  leap  by  Mika,  and  away 
dashed  the  snake  into  the  thicket,  feeling  no  doubt  that  it 
had  met  its  match.  As  it  went  it  reared  its  head  and 
shot  back  deadly  glances  at  brave  old  Mika,  but  it  did 
not  return  to  the  fight,  and  we  heard  it  plunging  along 
through  the  undergrowth,  making  a  noise  like  some  large 
four-footed  animal,  and  we  saw  it  no  more. 

As  we  retraced  our  steps  we  were  surprised  to  find  how 


i8i 


far  we  liad  wandered  from  camp,  and  I  have  seldom 
suffered  so  much  from  thirst  as  I  did  that  day.  AVe  had 
at  least  five  hours'  walk  through  a  scorching  sun.  and 
nothing  at  ah  to  drink.  However,  just  as  I  was  beginning 
to  feel  I  could  go  no  further  without  water,  we  came  to 
some  damp  earth ;  but  what  good  was  this  ?  We  very 
quickly  dug  a  hole  about  a  foot  deep,  and  then  to  our  joy 
saw  the  water  just  beginning  to  come  ;  drop  by  drop  it 
oozed  from  the  sides  of  the  hole.  I  first  put  a  leaf  at  the 
bottom,  and  when  it  became  damp,  sucked  it,  then  when 
a  little  more  had  come  I  scooped  it  up  with  the  leaf,  and 
at  last,  after  much  patience,  the  hole  filled  up,  the  mud 
sank  to  the  bottom  and  a  delightful  pool  of  pure,  clear 
water  appeared.  I  put  my  head  down  and  took  a  long, 
long  draught,  and  never  did  water  taste  so  sweet.  Then 
the  boys  and  men  drank,  and  all  were  satisfied. 

We  got  to  our  camp  about  4  p.m.,  had  a  little  rest  and 
refreshment,  and  then  a  short  walk  brought  us  to  a  place 
where  Captain  Sit  well  w^as  camped  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  sur- 
rounded by  a  banana  grove.  We  had  previously  arranged 
to  meet  at  this  place,  and  journey  together  into  the 
unknown.  My  tent  w^as  pitched  by  the  side  of  his,  and 
in  a  very  short  time  we  had  dinner  together.  The 
Captain  had  brouglit  with  him  six  cows  for  milk,  and 
several  sheep  for  killing,  and  quite  a  lot  of  home  comforts. 
He  also  had  with  him  an  experienced  Indian  cook,  who 
had  travelled  with  him  from  Uganda.  We  sat  and  chatted 
together  after  an  excellent  repast,  till  nine  o'clock  and 
then  separated  for  the  night. 

As  Her  Majesty's  Vice-Consul  in  Toro  the  Captain 
travelled  under  an  escort  of  Soudanese  troops  of  the 
Uganda  Protectorate ;  they  were  a  very  fine  set  of  men  and 
seemed  to  be  much  attached  to  their  commanding  officer. 
At  night  two  of  these  fellows  acted  as  sentries  at  the 
door  of  our  tents,  and  a  smaU  camp  fire  was  kept  burning. 


/X  DWARF  LAXD. 


This  certainly  gave  to  me  a  sense  of  security  that  I  had 
seldom  felt  in  Africa,  and  I  enjoyed  a  good  deep  sleep  for 
once  in  my  life,  i^s  a  rule  I  slept  so  lightly  that  the 
sound  of  a  nig] it  bird,  or  a  bat  as  it  fluttered  past  my 
tent,  would  always  rouse  me,  and  it  was  a  relief  to  feel 
that  there  was  some  one  outside  who  would  be  awake  all 
through  the  night  and  give  prompt  intimation  to  us  if 


SOUDANESE  SEXTKY. 


anything  wxnt  wrong.  However,  "  Put  not  your  trust  in 
princes,  nor  in  any  son  of  man,"  is  good  advice,  and 
once,  with  the  sentry  actually  standing  a  few  yards  from 
the  tent  door,  a  leopard  entered  the  tent  of  my  friend, 
and  carried  off  a  dog  that  was  quietly  sleeping  on  the 
chair  by  the  bedside,  and  the  sentry  was  utterly  ignorant 
of  the  fact  until  he  heard  the  dog  yell,  which  was  then, 
of  course,  too  late. 


/.V  DWARF  LA.Yn. 


183 


Early  the  next  morning  onr  walk  into  the  unknown 
commenced.  The  Captain  determined  not  to  stick  to 
paths,  but  just  to  proceed  by  compass,  and  very  soon  after 
we  had  struck  camp  we  made  due  east,  and  for  three 
hours  were  simply  cutting  our  way  through  the  country, 
with  axes  and  swords ;  such  dense  thick  undergrowth,  it 
was  hard  wwk  for  the  soldiers  who  did  the  cutting,  and 
seldom  could  we  see  more  than  a  few  yards  in  front. 


HAPPY  NIGGEKS,  PLENTY  TO  EAT.  «^ 


In  the  evening  we  reached  a  small  village  and  here 
camped.  The  chief  brought  us  plenty  of  food,  which  we 
distributed  to  the  porters  and  boys.  During  the  evening  I 
visited  some  of  the  people  and  had  chats  with  them,  and 
I  found  that  here  also  the  lions  had  been  making  great 
ravages.  One  poor  woman  that  I  saw  had  been  terribly 
torn  about  by  a  lion,  the  whole  of  the  flesh  on  one  side  of 
her  face  being  literally  eaten  off,  and  the  greatest  wonder 
was  that  she  escaped  at  all. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


We  started  off  very  early  tlie  following  morning,  but 
we  could  find  no  path  leading  in  the  direction  we  desired, 
so  again  w^e  went  by  compass.  This  time  long,  tangled 
grass  impeded  our  progress,  and  made  walking  most 
difficult.  The  country  looked  very  beautiful,  much  after 
the  style  of  a  big  English  park.  The  recent  rains  had 
had  the  effect  of  freshening  up  everything.  After  a  little 
while  we  saw  in  the  distance  a  small  herd  of  water-buck 
quietly  grazing  on  the  hillside.  I  hurried  off  in  front  of 
the  caravan  and  w^as  soon  fighting  my  way  through  the 
terrible  long,  rank  grass,  cutting  myself  all  over  with  its 
knifelike  blades.  I  was  pushing  my  way  rapidly  through 
some  of  this  long  grass,  with  my  eyes  fixed  upon  a  fine 
buck,  about  800  yards  off,  when  suddenly  I  felt  my  feet 
tread  on  air !  and  my  next  sensation  was  one  of  suspen- 
sion between  earth  and  heaven.  Quite  unconsciously  I 
had  come  upon  a  deep  gully,  almost  like  a  crack  in  the 
earth,  with  a  lot  of  water  at  the  bottom,  which  seemed 
about  20  feet  beneath.  My  arms  were  held  fast  by  some 
creepers  above  my  head.  While  wondering  what  I  should 
do  to  get  out  of  this  queer  state,  I  was  suddenly  saved  the 
trouble  by  the  creepers  giving  way,  and  down,  down  I 
went  with  a  whack,  splash  into  the  water,  w^hich  w^as 
fortunately  deep  enough  to  break  my  fall.  It  was  a  good 
thing  for  me  that  I  did  not  get  a  broken  skull,  for  there 
were  rocks  sticking  up  here  and  there  through  the  water. 
As  it  was  I  was  not  a  bit  hurt,  only  shaken  and  wet,  and 
I  therefore  soon  began  to  think  again  about  that  water- 
buck  I  had  left  up  above.  The  question  was,  how  to  get 
up  !  I  had  my  gun  in  my  hand,  and  I  was  alone,  and  in 
front  of  me  twenty  feet  of  steep  rocky  bank.  How- 
ever, by  clinging  to  the  creepers,  and  holding  on  to  little 
tufts  of  grass,  I  got  up  the  other  side  quite  serenely  and 
looked  about  for  my  prize.  There  he  was,  reclining  under 
the  shadow  of  a  big  tree.    I  walked  a  few  yards,  and  at 


/X  nWARF  LA. YD. 


185 


about  two  hundred  yards  lired.  He  rolled  over,  but  got 
up  again  and  was  off,  but  as  he  ran  I  put  another  shot 
into  him,  and  this  time  it  went  through  the  heart,  and 
over  he  went,  not  to  move  again.  It  was  a  very  fine 
specimen  with  twenty-seven  inch  horns.  The  caravan 
came  up,  and  the  meat  was  quickly  divided  amongst  the 
porters. 

We  did  not  go  much  farther  that  day  but  camped 
on  a  hill  overlooking  the  whole  surrounding  country — 
a  most  charming  place.  The  wildness  of  it  was  en- 
chanting. AVe  were  on  ground  that  no  white  man  had 
ever  trodden  before,  and  possibly  no  black  man  either. 
All  around  us  were  beautiful  hills  and  deep  valleys,  some 
of  the  former  thickly  wooded,  and  lovely  little  rivulets 
running  through  the  latter. 

•  As  we  sat  at  lunch  just  outside  our  tents  we  saw  quite 
close  to  us  a  large  herd  of  elephants  ;  we  counted  about 
thirty  in  all.  They  were  quietly  feeding  upon  the  grass 
and  tender  shoots  from  the  trees. 

We  left  this  charming  spot  at  six  the  next  morning, 
and  after  a  short  walk  came  to  the  thickest  and  tallest 
grass  I  have  ever  seen.  Every  foot  had  to  be  cut  by  the 
Soudanese  with  their  sword  bayonets.  For  three  and  a 
half  hours  we  toiled  on,  and  it  seemed  to  get  worse  and 
worse  at  every  step.  The  men  w^ere  at  last  tired  out  with 
the  hard  cutting,  and  we  all  sat  down  for  a  rest  by  the  side 
of  a  very  high  tree.  The  Captain  called  for  several  of  his 
men  to  climb  up  and  look  out  for  a  path  or  village,  or 
some  means  of  getting  out  of  this  horrible  jungle.  Man 
after  man  tried  to  climb  and  failed,  at  last  I  made  an 
attempt.  I  found  a  long  thin  creeper  hanging  down 
through  the  branches  of  the  tree,  just  like  a  very  thick 
rope.  I  tested  it  to  see  if  it  would  bear  my  weight,  and 
then  commenced  to  swarm  up.  For  about  GO  feet  the 
creeper  was  separated  from  the  tree,  and  when  I  got  up 
about  two-thirds  of  the  way  I  looked  down,  and  I  was 


IX  DJVARF  LAND. 


literally  hanging  in  space.  Up  and  up  I  \Yent,  until  I 
reached  the  huge  bough  from  which  the  creeper  hung, 
scrambled  on  to  it,  climbed  a  little  higher  up  the  tree, 
and  then  looked  round.  But  while  doing  so  I  became 
conscious  of  a  terrible  pricking  sensation  all  over  my 
body  and  wdiich  I  found  was  caused  by  thousands  of  little 
black  ants.  I  was  simply  smothered.  It  was  frightful 
agony  ;  I  liastily  looked  round,  but  the  branches  were 
too  thick,  1  could  see  nothing,  so  I  climbed  out  on  to 
one  of  the  boughs,  broke  off  a  few  of  the  smaller  ones  so 
as  to  get  a  view,  and  then  at  last  I  w^as  rewarded  by 
seeing  a  little  way  to  the  north,  a  forest,  which  would,  I 
thought,  be  mucli  easier  to  walk  through  than  this  awful 
grass.  1  then  came  down  the  creeper  and  got  a  few  boys  to 
pick  off  the  little  pests  that  had  by  this  time  bitten  me  in 
every  part  of  my  body,  easily  finding  their  way  under  my 
loose  clothing.  The  Captain  agreed  with  me  that  the 
forest  would  be  preferable  to  the  high  gra::s  jungle,  and 
so  we  changed  our  direction  a  little,  and  soon  came  to  it, 
and  found  as  we  expected  that  it  was  much  easier  to  w^alk 
through.  The  tropical  vegetation  was  magnificent :  tree 
ferns  on  every  liand,  cabbage-like  lichens  of  immense  size 
on  almost  every  branch,  trees  and  twigs  all  covered  with 
thick  green  moss,  and  creepers  festooned  from  branch  to 
branch.  Monkeys  screamed  amongst  the  leaves  of  the 
giant  trees  150  feet  in  height. 

We,  however,  were  too  tired  to  take  much  notice 
of  the  forest  beauties,  we  wanted  w^ater  and  a 
suitable  camping-ground  for  the  night.  We  sent  off 
men  m  all  directions  to  look  for  water,  and  after  a 
time  one  man  came  running  back  with  the  tidings 
that  a  river  ran  not  far  from  where  we  w^ere  resting. 
There  it  was  quite  close  to  us,  a  beautiful  stream 
flowing  silently  through  the  forest,  winding  its  way 
in  and  out  like  a  snake.  By  the  side  of  it  we  camped. 
It  was  well  for  the  porters  that  I  had  been  successful 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


187 


in  killing  the  water-buck,  as  we  had  hoped  to  reach  a 
village  where  they  could  have  procured  food  instead 
of  thus  camping  in  a  wild  forest.  We  struck  camp 
about  5  a.m.  the  next  day.  It  had  been  a  terribly 
cold  night,  due  to  a  damp  river  mist.  We  walked  another 
four  hours  through  the  forest  and  then  struck  a  path 
which  led  us  to  a  village,  and  here  we  camped  again. 
The  Captain  returned  to  Toro  from  this  place,  but  I 
determined  to  go  on  a  little  further. 

A  big  chief  came  to  see  us  in  the  evening,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  next  day  I  went  at  this  chief's  request  to 
visit  his  village,  stayed  a  few^  hours  with  him  and  ex- 
changed presents.  He  w^as  a  prince  of  Toro,  Kaibari  by 
name,  and  used  to  be  one  of  Kaba  Eega's  old  supporters, 
a  most  untrustworthy  fellow.  He  was  very  kind  to  me, 
however,  giving  me  a  large  quantity  of  food  to  take  on 
with  me. 

We  went  on  for  another  three  hours,  and  at  5  p.m. 
camped  out  in  the  wilderness  by  the  side  of  a  tiny 
stream  close  to  a  thick  forest.  The  boys  built  rough 
huts  around  my  tent,  in  which  to  sleep.  I  shot  two  large 
golden-crested  cranes  for  meat,  together  with  a  red-tailed 
monkey,  and  these,  with  the  food  given  us  by  the  old  chief, 
met  our  requirements.  Just  before  dark  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  kill  a  very  fine  specimen  of  Colibus  monkey, 
which  was  sporting  about  amongst  the  trees  wdthin  sight 
of  my  tent. 

It  was  bright  and  fresh  the  next  day  when  we  started, 
and  we  had  the  most  majestic  country  to  pass  through. 
On  our  right  was  the  big  mountain  called  Mount  Edwin 
Arnold,  beautifully  covered  from  base  to  crest  with  bright 
green  grass  ;  in  front  of  us  was  another  large  range  of 
hills,  not  marked  on  the  map,  but  called  by  the  natives 
Lubala  INIountains ;  and  behind  us  in  the  dim  distance 
we  could  just  see  the  snow-capped  peaks  of  Kuwenzori 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


some  forty  miles  away,  and  all  around  us  were  the  most 
lovely  trees.  Being  very  short,  soft  grass  we  did  not  keep 
to  the  path,  which  seemed  to  wind  about  a  great  deal. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  we  reached  the  banks  of  the 
Mpanga  river,  a  stream  that  has  its  source  in  the 
eternal  snow^s  of  Euwenzori,  winding  in  a  horseshoe 
shape  to  the  east  on  to  the  great  plains,  and  finally  into 
the  north-easterly  arm  of  the  Albert  Edward  Lake.  The 


:\IPAXGA  RIVER. 


water  was  deep  and  the  current  strong,  and  we  had  some 
difficulty  in  finding  a  place  where  it  was  fordable. 

Having  crossed  the  Mpanga  river,  we  at  once 
entered  into  a  new  country,  and  at  8  p.m.  approached 
a  large  village.  It  was  built  on  a  hill,  and  we  could  see 
that  all  the  men  were  collecting  together  around  one  man, 
who  was  dressed  in  long,  white  flowing  robes.  All  were 
armed  with  spears  and  knives,  bows  and  arrows,  &c. 
Not  a  pleasant  sight  for  a  harmless  individual  ]ike  my- 


AV  DWARF  LAXD. 


self.  However,  one  has  to  face  such  things  in  Africa, 
and  so  I  told  the  boys  who  were  carrying  my  sporting 
guns,  and  who  were  very  frightened  at  the  turn  of  events, 
to  fall  to  the  rear,  while  I  went  on  alone,  unarmed,  to  see 
what  was  amiss  and  try  and  make  peace.  As  I  climbed 
the  hill  I  heard  the  war-drum  beating,  and  great  ex- 
citement seemed  to  animate  all.  At  last  I  reached  the 
summit  and  was  immediately  surrounded,  and  not  a  word 
was  spoken,  but  every  man  grasped  his  spear  ready  for 
instant  use.  I  went  straight  up  to  the  chief  without 
showing  any  sign  of  fear  or  suspicion,  although  I  confess 
to  a  little  drjaiess  of  the  throat  and  palpitation  of  the 
heart.  As  I  approached  him  I  kept  my  weather  eye  fixed 
upon  one  great  fellow  who  had  a  very  big  spear,  and  who 
seemed  to  be  edging  his  way  towards  me.  I  put  out  my 
hand  to  greet  the  chief,  smiling  pleasantly,  but  he  refused 
to  answer  my  salutation,  and  said,  *'Do  you  want  to 
steal  m}^  sheep  and  my  goats?"  I  answered  him  that 
nothing  was  further  from  my  thoughts.  "You  are  a  liar," 
he  politely  said;  ''I  know  this  is  what  you  have  come  for." 
I  replied,  "  Should  I  have  come  into  your  presence,  and 
into  the  presence  of  these  your  armed  warriors,  unarmed 
and  alone,  if  I  were  going  to  fight  and  steal?  "  He  then 
said,  "  But  your  soldiers  may  be  hidden  in  the  forest, 
waiting  for  3'ou  to  call  them  to  your  assistance."  No," 
I  said;  "  all  the  men  I  have  are  just  now  coming  up  the 
hill ;  look  at  them,  and  you  will  see  that  they  are  un- 
armed, except  my  two  boys,  who  are  carrjnng  my  two 
guns  I  use  for  killing  game  to  eat."  At  this  he  seemed 
more  satisfied,  but  asked  me  a  few  more  questions,  and 
then  withdrew  his  men  into  his  own  enclosure,  having 
pointed  out  to  me  a  spot  where  I  might  pitch  my  tent. 
This  happened  to  be  very  close  to  a  most  strange 
spectacle,  a  bird  sacrifice.  A  dead  fowl  was  hanging 
by  the   neck  from  a  long  pole,  which  was  festooned 


190 


IX  DJVARF  LA XI). 


with  plaited  grasses,  ike.  This  was  a  propitiatory 
offering  to  the  spirit  of  evil,  that  is  supposed  to  destroy 
their  cattle,  sheep  and  goats,  S:c.  AYhen  I  had  pitched 
my  tent  the  chief  came  again  to  see  me  with  all  his 
spearmen  and  asked  me  to  show  him  various  things — 
my  guns,  my  brush,  looking-glass,  field  glasses,  &c.  I 
took  one  thing  after  another  and  explained  it  carefully  to 
him  and  he  was  much  pleased,  and  I  soon  felt  I  was 
gaining  his  confidence ;  and  by  and  by  the  spearmen 
dispersed,  but  not  before  I  had  spoken  to  them  of  the  one 
great  Sacrifice,  once  offered,  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world,  and  of  the  loving  Father  of  us  all.  One  sincerely 
trusts  that  the  good  seed  sown  by  the  wayside  in  these 
wild,  dark  hearts  may  bear  fruit  after  many  days. 

Up  to  that  moment  no  food  had  been  brought  to  us, 
but  now  it  came  in  great  abundance,  and  all  the  porters 
had  plenty  and  to  spare.  At  night  I  went  into  the  chief's 
house  and  sat  and  chatted  with  him  till  bedtime.  The 
house  was  all  decked  with  charms  and  fetishes  of  every 
description,  in  all  of  which  he  seemed  to  put  implicit 
trust. 

In  the  morning  I  bade  an  affectionate  farewell  to  the 
people,  the  chief  showing  the  wonderful  change  of  feeling 
toward  me  by  accompanying  me  a  good  part  of  the  way 
alone.  We  were  now  on  our  return  journey,  and  I 
intended  visiting  a  large  village  called  Karumuli,  about 
twenty  miles  distant. 

The  second  day  we  left  Mount  Edwin  Arnold  to  the 
north  ;  the  base  of  the  mountain  was  quite  invisible,  but 
the  summit  was  very  distinct,  and  one  could  easily  see  the 
trees,  &c.,  on  the  very  top.  We  stayed  at  Karumuli  two 
days,  and  then  made  our  way  home  b}^  one  long,  forced 
march  to  Kabarole,  reaching  the  Mission  station  about 
5  p.m.,  just  eleven  days  from  the  time  we  left  it. 


CHAPTEE  X 


AT    HOME     IX  TORO 


Climate  of  Toro — Brick-makiug — House-building — A  tornado — A  disaster — 
The  Government  fort — Missionaries  and  the  Government  officials — 
A  Christmas  feast — The  Mission  garden  —  My  first  elephant  —  The 
Batatela  rebellion — Adventures  of  a  French  priest — Belgian  officer 
takes  refuge  in  British  Protectorate  —  Fort  George  attacked  —  A 
splendid  victory — Death  of  Rev.  John  Callis — Lions  again — A  lucky 
shot. 

rpHE  climate  of  Toro  is  very  different  from  that  of 


J-  Uganda,  no  doubt  by  reason  of  the  mountains  and 
their  snow-capped  peaks.  In  Toro  rain  falls  much  more 
frequently,  and  during  the  first  year  I  spent  there  it 
rained  on  272  days  out  of  the  865.  In  the  early  morning 
the  wind  seems  to  blow  always  from  the  west,  a  keen, 
cutting  blast  which  makes  one  very  reluctant  to  leave 
the  warm  blankets.  Very  often  the  wind  brings  with  it 
clouds  of  thick  mist,  and  it  is  not  an  uncommon  occur- 
rence in  Toro  to  get  up  and  find  the  whole  district  in  a 
thick  fog.    It  is  often  II  o'clock  before  it  clears  up. 

Even  in  the  middle  of  the  day  the  heat  is  never  what 
it  is  in  Uganda  and  other  countries  nearer  the  coast.  I 
have  known  the  thermometer  to  be  as  low  as  G5°  at 
12  midday  in  Toro,  and  much  lower  than  that  at  night 
and  in  the  early  dawn,  but  I  have  never  seen  it  below  40°. 
As  a  direct  result  of  these  cold  mornings  the  people  are 
not  early  risers  like  the  Waganda,  excepting  perhaps  in 


191 


192 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


the  dry  season,  wliicli  lasts  for  three  months  only — 
December,  January,  and  h'ebruary. 

The  ordinary  reed  houses,  as  built  by  the  Europeans  in 
Uganda,  were  not  sufficiently  warm  in  Toro.  I  therefore 
commenced  to  teach  the  natives  to  make  sun-dried  bricks. 
I  had  never  done  anything  of  the  kind  before  myself,  but, 
as  I  have  said,  a  missionary  must  Ije  prepared  for  any- 
thing. I  made  a  wooden  mould  out  of  old  broken  clothes 
boxes,  and  commenced  operations.  The  bricks  were  larger 
than  the  ordinary  burnt  brick  of  the  Old  Country,  but  my 


BRICK-MAKIXG.  TORO. 


idea  was  that  it  would  take  less  bricks  if  I  made  them  a 
good  size.  Very  soon  the  native  boys  whom  I  employed 
at  one  shell  per  brick  were  able  to  turn  out  sixty  bricks 
per  day  each,  and  in  a  short  time  my  yard  was  stacked 
with  good  strong  material  for  a  new  house.  But  boys 
will  be  boys,  and  black  boys  are  no  exception,  and  every 
few  minutes  these  little  blackies  were  flinging  mud  into 
each  other's  faces.  They  are  terrible  little  creatures,  and 
take  the  whole  thing  as  a  huge  joke,  and  if  a  stray  cow 
or  goat  came  walking  leisurely  amongst  the  wet  bricks. 


/X  DWARI'  LAXn. 


193 


trampling  them  all  out  of  shape,  perhaps  spoiling  a  whole 
day's  work,  they  simply  laughed,  jumped  and  shouted 
with  delight,  and  thought  it  great  fun. 

At  last  I  started  to  erect  what  was  to  he  the  most  won- 
derful house  in  Toro  about  the  beginning  of  January, 
digging  out  a  3-feet  foundation.  Having  got  the  building 
well  started,  laying  every  brick  myself,  I  thought  I  would 
try  and  teach  some  of  the  boys  to  be  bricklayers.  My 
man  Mika  offered  to  try  if  he  could  do  it.  I  told  him 
w^iat  to  do  and  left  him.    I  came  back  in  about  two 


POLES  FOR  BUILDING  PURPOSES. 


hours'  time,  alas  !  to  find  that,  although  the  good-hearted 
fellow  had  put  down  some  hundreds  of  bricks  not  one 
was  laid  straight,  and  the  wall  was  crescent-shape,  and 
had  to  be  pulled  down.  I  tried  again  and  again,  but 
without  success,  and  so  made  up  my  mind  to  do  the 
whole  thing  myself.  I  laid  some  ten  thousand  bricks, 
and  two-thirds  of  the  walls  were  finished,  and  then  a 
terrible  thing  happened.  It  was  the  middle  of  the  dry 
season,  and  we  expected  a  good  six  weeks  more  without 
rain ;  but  one  morning  while  I  was  very  busy,  all  bespat- 

14 


194 


/X  niVARF  LAND. 


tei-ed  willi  mud.  laying  l)rick  after  brick,  I  saw  a  great, 
black,  lowering  cloud  come  sailing  up  from  the  south- 
east, which  was  always  our  rainy  quarter  ;  then  distant 
thunder  was  lieard,  and  the  women  in  the  gardens  and 
the  men  in  the  fields  all  ran  to  their  houses,  and  in  a  very 
few^  moments  the  storm  burst  upon  us.  It  was  an  awful 
gale,  a  regular  tornado.  The  wind  was  so  strong  that  it 
carried  away  part  of  the  roof  of  the  house  in  which 
I  lived ;  the  plantain  gardens  were  laid  low,  trees  were 
uprooted,  and  many  of  the  native  huts  were  demolished. 


missionaries'  mud-house,  toro. 

In  the  midst  of  it  all  I  heard  a  crash,  and  running  to  the 
window  I  saw,  to  my  great  sorrow,  that  my  hard  work 
of  the  past  six  weeks  was  all  destroyed  in  a  moment.  The 
temporary  roof  erected  to  protect  the  sun-dried  bricks 
while  the  walls  w^ere  built,  was  blown  aw^ay,  and  then  the 
full  force  of  the  gale  fell  upon  the  walls  and  down  they 
came.  The  storm  lasted  about  two  hours,  and  seemed 
rather  to  increase  in  violence  towards  the  end,  and  very 
much  damage  was  done. 

In  consequence  of  the  destruction  wrought  upon  the 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


195 


banana  groves  tliere  was  a  famine,  which  lasted  two  or 
three  months,  and  some  of  the  people  suffered  very 
severely.  The  brick-house,  or  the  remains  of  it,  had 
to  be  cleared  away,  and  I  built  a  mud-house  in  its  place, 
and  with  the  rest  of  the  bricks,  which  were  in  stock,  I 
constructed  a  smaller  house. 

The  Government  fort  of  Toro  was  only  a  quarter  of  an 
hour's  walk  from  our  Mission  station,  and  we  constantly 
exchanged  visits  with  the  officer  in  charge.  Fort  Gerry, 
as  it  is  called,  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  whole  Protectorate. 
Built  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  it  commanded  the  district  for 
miles  round,  and  no  native  force  could  possibly  have 
stormed  it  with  any  success.  A  ditch  10  feet  deep  sur- 
rounded it,  which  was  usually  partly  filled  with  rain- 
water. The  fort  walls  were  of  mud,  and  high  Maxim 
bastions  were  at  the  four  corners.  There  was  only  one 
entrance,  with  a  small  bridge  built  across  the  ditch.  The 
Vice-Consul's  house  stood  in  the  centre,  with  a  fine,  w^ell- 
kept  lawn  in  the  front.  The  military  officer  had  his 
dwelling  next  door,  and  officers'  stores,  magazine,  and 
servants'  departments,  &c.,  were  the  only  other  buildings 
inside.  The  chief  aspect  of  the  place  was  its  neat, 
business-like  appearance.  The  company  of  Soudanese 
troops  had  their  quarters  outside. 

During  the  two  years  I  spent  in  Toro  the  intercourse 
which  was  maintained  between  the  missionaries  and  the 
Government  officials  was  of  the  best  possible  kind.  At 
least  twice  a  week  we  exchanged  visits,  and  tried  to  be 
of  mutual  help  in  every  v/ay.  Sometimes  we  tramped 
together  through  the  country,  each  performing  in  his 
own  way  the  duty  allotted  to  him  by  his  calling.  If  one 
had  tea  and  the  others  had  none  the  more  fortunate 
would  share  what  he  had  with  his  companion,  and 
although  our  work  led  us  often  in  different  directions, 
he  as  an  official  of  the  British  Government  and  we  as 


196 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


missionaries,  it  was  the  object  of  both  to  improve  the 
state  of  the  country — the  one  cleahng  with  its  political 
troubles,  the  others  with  its  social  evils.  So  should 
Government  officials  and  missionaries  work  hand  in 
hand,  in  every  way  possible  helping  each  other,  but  in 
no  way  whatever  the  one  hindering  or  discouraging  the 
other,  as,  alas !  is  sometimes  unfortunately  the  case.  It 
can  never  be  said,  however,  that  this  was  so  in  Toro, 
at  least  during  the  term  I  spent  in  residence  there,  or 


THATCHING. 

even  in  Uganda,  where  the  happiest  relations  have  always 
existed. 

Christmas,  1S96,  was  a  day  of  much  rejoicing  in  Toro ; 
the  kmg,  Kasagama,  wishing  to  introduce  the  good  old 
Christmas  custom  of  a  feast  on  that  great  day,  offered 
two  bullocks  towards  a  big  festival.  Fisher  and  I  gave 
a  bullock  and  some  sheep,  several  of  the  chiefs  gave 
sheep,  goats,  and  fowls,  and  after  a  short,  bright  Christ- 
mas S(irvice  in  the  Church  of  St.  John,  Toro,  the 
people  went  off  to  their  huts  to  prepare  the  "  Mbaga " 
(feast) . 


IN  DWARF  LAND, 


197 


At  2  p.m.  the  drum  began  to  beat,  and  the  crowds 
collected  on  the  open  green  in  front  of  the  church.  Some 
seven  hundred  people  all  arranged  themselves  in  little 
groups  ;  each  under-chief  had  about  twenty  men  to  look 
after.  The  King  and  five  of  the  biggest  chiefs,  together 
with  the  Queen  Mother  and  ourselves,  formed  a  separate 
group.  When  all  were  seated  the  baskets  of  food  were 
brought,  one  hundred  baskets  of  all  kinds  of  luxuries, 
including  bananas,  potatoes,  yams,  millet,  and  many  other 
sorts  of  native  food ;  meat,  broiled,  stewed,  and  curried, 
and  large  calabashes  of  sweet  banana  wine,  unfermented 
and  harmless,  with  a  few  luxuries  such  as  biscuits  and 
tea  for  the  king's  special  benefit.  All  the  food  was  dis- 
tributed, and  then  the  King  stepped  forward  and  in  a 
loud  voice,  while  every  head  was  bowed,  said :  "  0  ! 
great  God,  our  Father,  we  praise  Thee  for  Thy  goodness 
to  us  and  for  this  food ;  may  we  eat  it  with  thanksgiving, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen/' 

It  was  a  wonderful  sight  in  the  midst  of  this  dark  land 
there  to  see  the  king  of  the  country,  who  so  lately  had 
emerged  from  heathenism  of  the  low^est  type,  surrounded 
by  hundreds  of  his  subjects,  most  of  whom  w^ere  still 
heathen,  giving  praise  to  the  great  Father  of  us  all 
through  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  It  was  a 
sight  from  which  might  well  be  learned  a  lesson,  by 
many  a  man  in  this  civilised  land  wdio  never  thinks 
of  offering  to  the  great  God  who  made  him  the  thanks 
due  unto  His  name. 

The  following  day  another  feast  was  given  to  the  sick 
patients,  and  about  three  hundred  partook  of  it.  Captain 
Sitwell  very  kindly  gave  tw^o  fat-tailed  sheep  towards  this 
feast,  and  right  glad  were  the  poor  creatures  to  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  sharing  in  the  Christmas  festivities.  Of  course 
only  the  convalescent  among  them  could  take  part,  but 
the  others  were  not  forgotten,  and  little  luxuries  were 


198  IN  DWARF  LAND. 

taken  to  them  in  their  huts,  which,  as  I  have  mentioned, 
were  bnilt  just  outside  of  the  Mission  compound. 

We  were  able  to  enjoy  in  Toro  the  best  Enghsh 
vegetables,  and  our  Mission  garden  always  provided  us 
with  new  potatoes  and  green  peas  all  the  year  round ; 
in  addition  to  these  cabbages,  turnips,  radishes,  cauli- 
flowers, French  beans  and  broad  beans,  carrots  and 
lettuce — in  fact,  everything  seemed  to  do  well  excepting 
wheat,  and  this,  most  precious  of  all,  could  not  be  reared 
to  any  perfection  in  Toro.    We  tried  at  all  seasons  of  the 


GARDENING  IN  TORO. 


year,  and  would  reap  about  as  much  as  w^e  had  sown,  but 
usually  less,  and  often  none  at  all.  Therefore  when  the 
English  flour  ran  out  we  had  to  content  ourselves  with 
maize  bread  or  banana  flour  cakes. 

There  was  plenty  of  game  of  all  sorts  close  to  Toro, 
and  very  occasionally  when  a  change  was  necessary  (for 
missionaries  are  human  and  get  tired  in  their  work 
sometimes)  a  run  through  the  country,  enjoying  free- 
dom from  work  for  a  few  days,  soon  puts  a  man  on 
his  feet  again.     Such  a  little  relaxation  I  had  early  in 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


199 


1897,  on  to  the  Semliki  plains,  crossing  the  monntain  at 
the  north  end.  The  plains  were  simply  covered  with 
antelope,  chiefly  cobiis  cob  and  reed-buck,  but  buffalo 
and  elephants  and  water-buck  were  also  to  be  found ; 
gazelles  and  wild  pigs  too. 

Returning  from  one  of  these  expeditions,  I  came  to 
a  village  the  people  of  which  were  in  great  distress,  as 
they  said  a  large  herd  of  elephants  was  in  the  district, 
destroying  all  their  gardens.  They  pointed  out  to  me 
their  potato  gardens,  wdth  the  potatoes  all  rooted  up, 
the  plantations  also  were  torn  up  and  spoiled,  and  several 
houses  had  been  demolished. 

I  had  never  hunted  these  colossal  beasts  before;  in  fact, 
I  had  always  looked  upon  elephant  hunting  as  being  all 
right  for  those  who  were  tired  of  life  and  longed  to  be  freed 
from  its  worries,  but  not  quite  the  thing  for  a  missionary 
who  desired  to  live  long  in  the  land  of  his  adoption.  But 
here  was  an  occasion  when  one  might  be  doing  the 
natives  a  real  service ;  and  when  I  looked  at  it  in  that 
light,  I  decided  at  once  to  make  my  first  elephant  hunt. 

I  first  cleaned  my  rifle,  which  was  of  small  ("803) 
calibre,  selected  three  of  my  most  plucky  boys,  asked  the 
chief  of  the  village  to  give  me  a  man  to  guide  us  to  the 
herd,  and  wdien  he  was  forthcoming  we  started  off.  It 
was  not  long  before  we  were  pushing  our  way  through 
long  tiger-grass  towering  away  about  G  feet  above  us. 
In  front,  advancing  noiselessly,  was  our  native  guide, 
twisting  himself  in  and  out  amongst  the  tufts  of  thick 
jungle,  sometimes  creeping  on  hands  and  knees,  and  ever 
keeping  eyes  and  ears  well  on  the  alert,  for  not  only 
elephants  but  lions  also  were  about.  Then  I  followed 
much  more  clumsily,  I  must  admit,  but  as  quietly  as 
possible.  Occasionally  I  would  fall  full  length,  having 
tripped  over  some  hidden  stump  or  caught  my  foot  in  a 
creeper,  and  each  time  I  did  so  the  guide  would  stop  and 


200 


IX  DWARF  LAND. 


gravely  shake  his  head,  meaning,  I  suppose,  to  show  how 
much  he  pitied  me  for  my  clumsiness.  A  quarter  of  an 
hour's  progress  of  this  kind  brought  us  to  an  open  patch 
of  land  covered  with  much  shorter  grass.  Here  the  guide 
stopped  and  told  us  to  wait  while  he  went  forward  a  little 
to  scout.  We  waited  in  breathless  excitement,  for  some- 
how we  felt  sure  we  were  very  near  to  the  herd.  After  a 
time  the  guide  returned  with  a  beaming  countenance, 
which  denoted  that  he  had  seen  the  elephants.  He 
beckoned  to  me,  and  I  followed  again  with  my  three 
boys  at  my  heels,  all  in  a  state  of  suppressed  excite- 
ment. Then  the  guide  stopped  and  with  his  spear 
pointed  to  wdiat  looked  to  me  like  a  great  granite  rock 
about  forty  yards  away.  Then,  without  a  word,  he  fell 
back  to  the  rear,  and  I  became  "boss"  of  the  situation. 
I  crept  a  little  closer  to  get  a  better  view,  and  then  I  saw 
about  six  great  trunks  go  up  to  sniff  the  air,  but  none  of 
the  herd  attempted  to  run  away,  for  they  had  not  seen  us. 
And  now  the  supreme  moment  had  arrived.  There  before 
us,  not  thirty  yards  distant,  stood  an  enormous  bull 
elephant.  I  raised  my  rifle,  a  fly  popped  into  my  eye 
and  obscured  my  vision  ;  I  cleared  it  out,  then  again 
raised  my  rifle.  Yes,  my  hand  w^as  steady,  but  my  eye 
was  full  of  tears  resulting  from  the  fly.  I  pulled  the 
trigger,  there  was  a  squeal  and  a  shaking  of  the  earth, 
and  I  saw  the  great  bull  racing  round  and  round  with 
trunk  in  the  air,  and  mighty  ears  flapping  at  his  sides. 
He  was  looking  for  us.  Could  I  have  missed  my  aim? 
I  lay  flat  down  in  the  grass,  and  my  boys  did  the  same. 
My  rifle  was  at  full  cock  ready  for  the  next  shot.  It  was 
a  rifle  wdth  a  magazine  for  five  cartridges.  At  last  he 
moved  away,  following  the  rest  of  the  herd,  which  had 
run  off  when  I  fired,  and  very  cautiously  we  followed  in 
his  track,  which  was  now^  a  good  one,  comparatively 
speaking,  that  is,  it  was  about  4  feet  wide,  and  the  grass 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


20 1 


was  all  beaten  down,  but  the  jungle  was  like  a  mighty  wall 
on  either  side  of  us.  We  followed  the  herd  for  about  half 
an  hour,  when  suddenly,  as  we  turned  round  a  corner,  I 
saw  the  bull  standing  facing  me,  not  twenty  yards  in 
front.  For  a  moment  I  was  taken  by  surprise,  then 
I  saw^  he  had  discovered  me,  and  wath  trunk  in  the  air 
he  came  charging  towards  me.  I  knelt  down  and  rested 
my  arm  upon  my  knee,  took  very  deliberate  aim  at  a 
spot  between  the  eyes.  I  only  had  a  few  seconds  to 
aim,  for  the  speed  of  an  elephant  is  tremendous  when 
he  is  on  the  war-path.  I  pulled  the  trigger,  and  almost 
simultaneously  with  the  report  of  the  gun  we  heard  a 
terrific  thump,  and  the  earth  literally  shook  beneath  us, 
as  only  ten  yards  in  front  of  me  that  huge  beast  fell  dead. 
The  bullet  had  first  entered  the  trunk,  piercing  that, 
and  then  into  the  centre  of  the  skull,  between  the  eyes, 
passing  through  the  brain.  It  never  moved  again,  and 
we  walked  up  to  the  carcase  and  congratulated  our- 
selves. 

We  were  sitting  resting  upon  the  dead  body  of  the 
elephant  when  we  heard  something  coming  towards  us 
through  the  jungle.  At  first  I  thought  it  was  some 
men  coming  to  see  the  result  of  the  shot,  but  no,  the 
tread  was  too  heavy.  It  was  another  elephant  making 
straight  for  us.  I  filled  up  my  magazine,  shot  a  cart- 
ridge into  the  breech,  and  waited ;  my  boys  also,  who 
were  armed  with  old  Snider  rifles,  loaded  up,  and  I 
ordered  them  not  to  fire  till  I  told  them.  The  suspense 
seemed  awiul  as  the  elephant,  very  slowly  and  with 
measured  tread,  came  towards  us.  We  could  not  see  a 
sign  of  it ;  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the  thickest  of 
thick  jungles.  At  last  the  crackling  of  the  twigs  seemed 
close  to  us.  I  raised  my  gun  to  my  shoulder.  Another 
second,  and  an  enormous  head  came  pushing  through  the 
wall  of  thick  vegetation  just  by  the  side  of  the  dead  ele- 


202 


/X  DUWRF  LAND. 


phant.  I  fired  point  blank,  and  my  boys  followed  suit. 
Down  went  the  second  elephant  like  a  clap  of  thunder, 
kicked  about  for  a  moment,  and  then  sprang  up  again,  and 
started  olf,  only  to  fall  a  few  hundred  yards  away,  stone 
dead.  He  w^as  a  much  bigger  animal  than  the  first,  and 
carried  immense  tusks,  each  w^eighing  about  GOlbs. 
The  first  pair  of  tusks  I  kept  as  a  souvenir  of  my  first 
elephant  hunt  ;  they  were  not  very  lar^-e,  although  the 
animal  was  full  grown,  both  w^eighing  about  86  lbs.  One 
of  the  tusks  of  the  second  I  gave  to  the  Queen  Mother, 
who  owned  the  district  in  which  the  elephants  had  been 
killed,  and  the  other  I  sold. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1897  a  mutiny  which  occurred 
in  the  Congo  Free  State  caused  a  great  deal  of  unrest 
and  apprehension  in  Toro.  The  native  troops  engaged 
in  an  expedition  under  Baron  Dhanis,  an  officer  of  the 
Congo  Free  State,  revolted  in  February,  and,  it  was 
reported,  killed  no  less  than  fifty-nine  Belgian  officers  and 
soldiers.  It  appears  to  have  been  quite  unexpected,  and 
the  rebellion  was  one  of  great  treachery.  The  mutineers 
were  natives  of  the  district  to  the  north-west  of  Lake 
Tanganyika,  and  were  called  the  Batatela.  Their  desire, 
after  rebelling  and  kihing  as  many  of  their  officers  as  they 
could  lay  hands  on,  was  to  make  good  their  escape  to 
their  own  land,  but  to  do  so  they  had  to  first  travel  as  far 
west  as  the  British  territory  to  get  out  of  the  terrible 
forest,  and  to  procure  food.  They  therefore  came  right  to 
the  banks  of  the  Semliki  river,  some  of  them,  it  w^as 
reported,  having  crossed  over.  Wherever  they  went 
they  attacked  the  natives  and  destroyed  the  houses, 
causing  great  disturbance,  especially  at  Mboga,  a  large 
country  within  the  British  Protectorate,  on  the  west  of 
the  Semliki  river. 

Unfortunately  it  happened  that  one  of  the  French 
fathers  of  the   Roman  Catholic  Mission   in  Toro  was 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


203 


visiting  that  country  just  at  the  time,  and  he  suffered 
much  discomfort  at  the  hands  of  the  rebels.  I  met 
him  just  after  he  had  escaped,  and  he  told  me  the  story. 
It  appears  that  he  was  staying  with  the  chief  of 
Mboga  when  the  rebels  crossed  the  frontier,  and  hearing 
that  there  was  a  European  in  the  district  immediately 
sent  some  men  to  catch  him  ;  he  was  therefore  brought 
up  before  the  head  ofiicer.  "  There  sat  these  men,"  said 
the  priest,  "in  European  clothing,  with  their  tents  and 


FRENCH  MISSION,  TOKO. 
(The  priest  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Batatela  is  in  the  foreiji  onnd.) 


camp  furniture  just  as  they  had  been  stolen  from  the 
murdered  ofticers.  They  were  smoking  European  pipes, 
and  eating  European  provisions,  and  every  now  and  then 
calling  out  '  Boy  !  '  to  their  servants."  The  French  father 
was  most  roughly  used,  pulled  about  and  l)ullied  l)y  these 
fellows,  his  clothing  dragged  from  his  back,  and  every 
incivility  possible  shown  to  liini.  One  man  pulled  his 
beard,  others  went  and  ransacked  his  tent  and  took  all 
his  things.    He  managed  to  make  them  understand  by 


204 


IX  nWWRF  LAND. 


speakin^^"  in  Swaliili  that  liu  was  not  a  Belgian,  nor  was 
he  an  official,  hut  merely  a  teacher  ;  otherwise  there  is 
little  donbt  but  that  they  would  have  killed  him.  As  it 
was  they  robbed  him  of  everything  he  possessed  and  then 
presented  him  with  a  large  tusk  of  ivory  as  compensation 
for  what  they  had  taken,  so  that  the  priest  might  not  tell 
the  English  that  the  Batatela  had  stolen  his  goods,  but 
merely  bought  them  of  him.  They  then  sent  the  priest 
about  his  business,  giving  him  time  to  get  out  of  their 

way ;  and  poor  Pere  A          arrived  in  Toro  in  a  most 

dilapidated  condition,  half  clothed,  and  with  nothing  but 
what  he  stood  upright  in,  Init  fortunate  indeed  to  get  off 
as  easily. 

The  rebels  then  moved  south  along  the  Semliki  valley. 
At  Karimi  was  stationed  another  Belgian  officer,  w^hose 
men  remained  loyal  to  him,  and  when  he  heard  that  the 
rebels  were  advancing  towards  him  he  escaped  into  British 
territory,  and  took  refuge  in  Fort  George,  the  frontier  fort  of 
the  British,  to  the  extreme  north  of  Lake  Albert  Edward. 
When  the  rebels  reached  Karimi  they  crossed  the  river 
and  advanced  towards  Eort  George,  no  doubt  having 
heard  that  the  Belgian  officer  was  there.  The  fort  was 
in  charge  of  a  young  Soudanese  lieutenant,  with  a  small 
section  of  about  eighteen  Soudanese  troops.  These, 
together  with  the  few  faithful  follow^ers  of  the  Belgian, 
were  all  that  could  be  mustered  to  resist  the  coming 
attack  of  about  five  hundred  Batatela,  all  armed  with 
Albini  rifles,  and  who  had  plenty  of  ammunition.  But 
the  gallant  few  held  the  fort,  and  it  was  a  most  creditable 
victory. 

The  next  move  of  the  rebels  w^as  to  cross  the  Semliki 
and  make  off  dowm  south  to  their  own  country.  How- 
ever, soon  after  they  crossed  they  were  met  by  the 
relief  party  of  Belgian  officers  and  troops,  and  sustained 
a  very  heavy   loss,  being   scattered  in  all  directions. 


7.V  DWARF  LAND. 


205 


We  in  the  British  Protectorate  were  free  from  their 
presence,  and  heard  but  httle  more  about  them. 

It  was  reported  that  I  left  the  country  on  account  of  its 
disturbed  state,  and  fled  into  Uganda.  I  would  here  like 
to  refute  that,  and  state  that  I  did  not  leave  the  country  at 
all,  nor  w^as  there  any  need  whatever  to  do  so.  It  is  true, 
however,  that  in  April  of  that  year  I  w^as  obliged  to  leave 
Bamutenda,  the  capital  of  Toro,  to  nurse  my  companion, 
the  Kev.  J.  S.  Callis,  who  had  lately  joined  me  in  Toro,  and 
who  had  gone  to  Mw^enge,  about  twenty-three  miles  distant, 
to  visit,  and  had  been  taken  ill.  This  may  have  given 
rise  to  the  report  that  "  I  had  left  the  country  so  as  to 
escape  disturbances."  I  may  add  that  Mr.  Callis  never 
recovered  from  his  illness,  and  died  only  ten  days  after  I 
arrived  at  his  bedside. 

About  the  same  time  fresh  ravages  by  lions  were 
reported,  and  every  evening  at  about  5  p.m.  we  could  hear 
them  roar.  They  seemed  to  be  quite  close  to  the  station, 
but  the  men  assured  us  they  were  some  distance  off. 

One  afternoon,  while  w^e  were  all  sitting  in  the  church, 
we  were  suddenly  alarmed  by  hearing  a  great  shout  quite 
close  to  the  church,  and  rushing  out  the  foremost  were 
just  in  time  to  see  a  lion  carry  off  a  poor  fellow  who 
had  been  sitting  outside,  not  many  yards  away.  I 
rushed  off  for  my  gun,  and  with  my  man,  Mika,  followed 
up  the  track  made  by  the  lion  as  it  carried  off  its  prey. 
We  followed  it  for  nearly  an  hour,  and  then  Mika,  who 
was  just  in  front  of  me,  stopped,  and  pointed  to  a  dense 
piece  of  jungle  and  said,  "  Here  is  its  home."  There  was 
just  a  low  entrance  into  what  looked  like  a  cave,  but 
what  in  reality  was  merely  thick  jungle,  and  the  track 
of  the  lion  led  right  to  the  entrance.  Mika  declared 
that  the  lion  was  inside,  and  urged  me  to  go  forward  to 
shoot  it.  But  this  was  not  an  easy  task  ;  in  the  first  place, 
it  was  too  dark  to  see  anything,  and  then  it  would  be 


2o6 


/.V  nU\lRF  LAND. 


rather  a  risky  business  to  advance  upon  a  lion  without 
seeing  it.  However,  I  went  a  Httle  nearer  and  tried  to 
peer  into  the  hole,  and  then  I  could  distinctly  hear  the 
low^  cat-like  growl  of  the  lion  as  it  devoured  its  prey,  and 
I  could  even  hear  the  crunching  of  the  bones.  I  then 
made  up  my  mind  to  fire  in  the  direction  from  which 
the  sound  came  and  hope  to  hit  the  beast.  So,  going 
almost  to  the  mouth  of  the  den,  I  fired.  There  was  a 
roar  and  then  a  scuffle,  and  then  all  was  still.  I  crept 
inside  the  den  wdth  Mika,  and  after  a  moment  or  tw^o  our 
eyes  got  more  accustomed  to  the  darkness,  and  we  could 
distinguish  the  mangled  remains  of  a  man  on  the  floor, 
but  no  lion  could  we  see.  We  found  after  a  wdiile  that 
there  was  a  back  w^ay  to  the  den,  and  that  the  lion  had 
left  the  lair  that  way.  We  followed  the  track  for  some 
distance,  but  darkness  came  on  and  we  had  to  return  to 
the  station. 

About  six  days  afterwards  news  was  brought  to  us  that 
a  dead  lion  had  been  found  not  far  from  the  spot,  and  I 
therefore  take  it  for  granted  that  this  w^as  the  one  I  had 
shot.  The  body  was  by  that  time  all  decomposed,  and 
I  could  not  make  any  examination,  but  the  bullet  evidently 
struck  some  vital  spot,  and  the  animal  must  have  died  the 
same  night. 


CHAPTER  XI 


RAMBLES  ROUND  ABOUT  TORO 

Visiting  the  craters — A  day  on  the  lake — A  hicycle  experience — Lion  in 
the  path — Visiting  Mwenge — The  "Speed-away" — A  swollen  river — 
Exhaustion — Kindly  help — Fever — I  am  hailed  as  a  "  rain  producer  " 
— I  go  to  see  Prince  Matu — I  overhear  an  interesting  conversation — 
Sally  to  the  rescue — A  would-be  assassin — To  the  Semliki  Valley — A 
black  man's  gratitude — A  magnificent  view — Albert  Lake — Hunting 
reed-buck — I  start  for  Mboga — Elephant  hunt — Over  the  Mountains 
of  the  Moon — Fresh  meat — Among  the  Bamba — The  hot  springs — 
Crossing  the  Semliki — Elephant  camp— A  morning  call — Alive  with 
game — ]Mboga — Church  history. 

QOME  of  my  rambles  round  about  Toro  were  of  an 
O  interesting  character,  and  I  propose  in  this  chapter 
to  give  a  few  of  my  adventures  and  experiences  during 
these  httle  trips. 

About  five  miles  from  the  Mission  station  of  Toro  is  a 
very  beautiful  lake  called  Kijongo.  It  is  only  about  two 
thousand  yards  long  and  eight  hundred  wide,  but  it  is  so 
beautifully  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  great  Mountains  of 
the  Moon  that  it  was  well  worth  a  visit.  On  the  eastern 
side  of  the  lake  were  a  number  of  conical-shaped  hills, 
covered  with  bright  green  grass,  but  each  one  looked  as  if 
the  top  had  been  knocked  off'.  I  climbed  to  the  summit 
of  one  of  these  hills,  which  was  rather  steep,  and  to  my 
astonishment  found  it  to  be  an  extinct  volcano,  a  huge 
circular  hole,  extending  into  the  very  heart  of  the  hill 

207 


208 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


and  having  a  deep  pool  of  clear  blue  ^yater  at  the  bottom. 
On  the  sides  of  the  crater  were  most  beautiful  trees  and 
all  kinds  of  tropical  vegetation.  I  climbed  down  to  the 
water's  edge,  and  found  it  to  be  quite  warm  and  beauti- 
fully pure.  There  were  wild  geese  swdmming  about  on 
the  w^ater,  and  monkeys  playing  in  the  trees.  I  got  the 
boys  who  were  with  me  to  light  a  fire  by  the  water's 
edge,  and  here  we  boiled  some  of  the  water  and  made  tea, 
roasted  some  potatoes,  and  generally  enjoyed  ourselves. 
I  paid  a  second  visit  to  the  Lake  Kijongo,  accompanied 

!  1 


CRATER  OF  EXTINCT  VOLCANO,  TORO. 


by  Lieutenant  H  ,  when  we  embarked  on  its  waters 

in  a  native  canoe,  with  the  purpose  of  finding  out  its 
extent,  and  if  possible  of  shooting  some  of  the  wild  geese 
wdiich  live  thereon.  But  being  unable  to  procure  paddles, 
and  the  wind  being  too  strong  for  punting,  we  failed  in 
our  object. 

A  bicycle  which  had  been  sent  to  me  during  my  stay 
in  Uganda  was  constantly  used  by  me  in  taking  ni}^ 
journeys  abroad,  and  often  I  have  had  most  exciting  times 
w^hen  on  the  wheel.    One  morning  I  started  off  to  visit  a 


/X  D]VARF  LAXn. 


209 


village  some  few  miles  away  from  the  Mission  station. 
The  road  was  well  cultivated,  and  about  5  feet  wide. 
It  was,  in  fact,  the  main  road  leading  to  Uganda.  I  had 
reached  the  top  of  a  long  hill,  and  on  the  other  side  was 
a  gentle  slope  into  the  vahey  beyond  ;  I  knew  the  road 
weh,  having  often  passed  that  way,  and  I  therefore  pre- 
pared myself  for  a  "  coast."    Near  the  foot  of  the  hill 


CKATEH  OF  EXTINCT  VOLCANO,  TOKO. 


was  a  slight  turn  in  the  road,  and  as  I  approached  it  I  put 
my  feet  again  on  to  the  pedals.  I  was  going  at  a  great 
speed,  and  as  I  rounded  the  corner  an  awful  sight  met 
my  gaze  ;  not  twenty  yards  in  front  there  lay  in  the  centre 
of  the  path  a  huge  lion,  with  head  down  upon  his  paws, 
facing  the  direction  from  which  I  was  coming.  It  was 
impossible  for  me  to  stop  the  machine,  the  speed  was  too 

15 


2IO 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


great.    To  the  left  of  the  path  was  a  high  waU  of  rock 
towering  some  20  feet  above  iny  head  ;  on  the  right 
was  a  steep  inchne,  down,  down,  dow^n,  for  100  feet 
to  a  river.     I  had  scarcely  a  second  to  take  in  the 
situation,  and  to  make  up  my  mind  as  to  what  com:se  of 
action  to  pursue.    It  was  a  critical  moment.  Whd^ic^uld 
I  do  ?    To  turn  to  the  right  down  the  steep  incline 
would  have  meant  almost  certain  destruction ;  to  attempt 
to  stop,  even  if  successful,  would  have  meant  pulling  up 
at  the  entrance  to  the  jaw^s  of  the  King  of  the  Forest. 
I  therefore  did  the  only  thing  that  was  possible — I  rang 
my  bell,  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  then  let  the 
"  bike  "  go  at  its  topmost  speed.    As  I  shot  into  view, 
the  lion  raised  his  huge  shaggy  head,  and  seeing  this 
unearthly  creature  come  racing  towards  him  makiiig"  so 
strange  a  cry,  he  lifted  up  his  voice  and  gave  forth  a 
most  blood-curdling  yelp.    The  apparition  was  too  much 
even  for  him,  and  when  I  was  about  five  yards  fr^,: 
he  leapt  on  to  the  right  of  the  path,  and  I  just  had  room  iv 
scramble  past  him.    Once  beyond,  I  pedalled  away  as  I 
never  had  before,  not  even  looking  round  to  see  what 
next  happened  to  the  startled  lion.    But  sit^'^^ 
perience,  if  it  happen  once,  is  quite  enougu,. 
the  lesson  not  to     scorch,"  even  in  Afw     v-i^-vp  +hP). 
are  no  policemen. 

I  had  promised  the  Prince  of  Mwenge  that  I  would 
pay  him  another  visit,  and  towards  the  end  of  the  year  I 
did  so,  starting  from  Toro  at  8  a.m.  on  a  lovely  morning, 
with  clear  blue  sk}'  overhead,  and  a  soft,  cool  breeze.  I 
mounted  my  "speed-away"  (as  my  bicycle  was  called) 
and  was  soon  spinning  along  at  a  nice  even  pace  ;  but 
alas  !  it  did  not  last.  A  stump  of  a  tree,  completely 
hidden  in  the  grass,  caused  the  speed-away "  very 
suddenly  to  stop,  and  the  rider  very  suddenly  to  dismount, 
who,  when  he  picked  himself  up  out  of  a  bed  of  thistles 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


21  I 


into  which  he  had  ahghted,  saw  to  his  great  sorrow  that 
one  of  the  cranks  of  his  faithful  "  bike  "  was  badly  bent. 
And  so  the  "  speed-away  "  had  to  be  sent  back  to  the 
Mission  station,  and  I  had  to  proceed  on  foot.  This  was 
a  great  disappointment,  as  I  had  anticipated  a  magnificent 
ride.  However,  it  was  all  for  the  best,  as  I  fomid  out 
afterwards. 

At  ten  o'clock  I  noticed  strange  black  clouds  gathering 
in  the  east,  the  direction  we  were  going,  and  slowly  but 
surely  they  came  towards  us  ;  then  very  suddenly,  with- 
out a  minute's  warning,  there  was  a  terrific  fiash  of 
lightning,  followed  immediately  by  a  perfect  deluge  of 
rain.    There  w-as  nothing  to  do  but  to  walk  on,  no  houses 
were  anywhere  near.    It  lasted  till  eleven  o'clock,  and 
then  a  slow,  drizzling  rain  till  twelve,  and  another  storm 
followed,  if  possible,  of  greater  violence  than  the  first.  I 
^^.all  never  forget  it.    We  were  descending  a  valley,  at 
..jctoixi  of  which  was  a   stream,  and  over  wdiich 
path  led,  when  the  second  storm  came  on.  Before 
■vj^  reached  the  water  we  could  see  that  it  was  only  a 
few^  feet  wide,  but  so  terrific  was  the  downpour  that  in 
^ve   ^■'linutes   it   w^as  a  torrent  one  almost 
^u.       .ook  upon. 
^•^  ;;^^'^tty  fix,  eight  miles  at  least  from  any 

._iau..oa  place,  and  this  torrent  in  front  of  us  ;  every 
r£ioment  the  stream  increasing  in  dimensions,  and  w^e 
*were  shivering  with  cold.  Some  of  the  boys  began  to 
,cry,  and  the  men  gave  in  and  sat  down,  and  my  teeth 
chattered  so  that  I  could  scarcely  speak.  It  was  no  use 
sitting  down,  however ;  that  would  mean  being  starved  to 
, death  wdth  the  cold,  and  so  I  seized  the  donkey  that  I 
had  w^ith  me,  and  by  sheer  force  thrust  it  into  the  stream 
to  try  the  depth,  but  what  was  my  horror  when  I  saw 
the  poor  creature  completely  disappear,  and  it  kept  out  of 
sight  for  some  moments,  coming  at  last  to  the  surface 


212 


IX  nWARF  LAND. 


some  distance  down  the  stream,  and  then  swam  to  the 
opposite  bank.  At  any  rate,  it  was  impossible  for  us  to 
cross  at  that  spot.  I  started  off  down  the  valley,  telling 
the  men  to  follow  me,  and  after  a  toilsome  walk  through 
long,  rank  grass  and  tangled  vegetation,  we  came  to  a 
place  where  the  water  seemed  much  shallower,  although 
it  was  niucli  wider.  I  plunged  in  and  found  the  water 
reached  my  chest,  and  when  I  got  to  the  middle  it  was 
much  deeper,  and  but  for  a  fallen  tree  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  cross.    As  it  was,  the  current  was 


SWAMPY  GROUND. 


so  strong  that  I  was  completely  thrown  off  my  legs, 
but  hung  on  to  the  tree,  and  finally  dragged  myself  across. 
When  I  reached  the  shallow  part  again  I  w\aited  for  the 
men  and  boys,  and  with  the  greatest  effort  helped  them 
all  safely  across,  none  getting  more  than  a  severe  ducking, 
and  few  less.  By  this  time  I  was  so  cold  I  could  scarcely 
walk,  my  limbs  were  shaking  so  violently.  The  rain 
continued  for  three  hours,  the  whole  time  coming  down 
in  sheets.  On  and  on  we  went,  and  it  seemed  as  though 
we  should  never  reach  our  journey's  end,  and  night  was 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


213 


fast  approaching  At  five  o'clock,  two  of  the  boys  com- 
pletely knocked  up,  and  fell  by  the  wayside  unable  to 
move,  quite  numbed  with  cold.  Dear  old  Mika  and 
another  of  the  boys  remained  with  them,  and  by  short 
stages  carried  them  the  whole  w^ay.  At  six  I  was  nearly 
done,  and  we  were  still  some  hours  from  the  place,  so  I 
fired  two  shots  in  succession,  hoping  that  as  we  were  on  a 


MWKNGE. 


hill  the  people  might  possibly  hear  us  and  come  to  our 
relief.  Happily  it  was  so,  and  although  we  were  so  far 
away,  the  shots  were  distinctly  heard.  I  reckon  the 
angels  ministered  to  our  need  and  carried  the  sound  a 
little  bit  further  than  usual.  We  shuffled  along  again  for 
another  half-hour,  and  all  was  pitch  dark,  and  we  could 
hear  no  sound  but  the  howl  of  a  hungry  hyaena,  some- 
where in  our  rear  following  us,  and  no  doubt  anticip.ating 


214 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


a  meal.  Then  came  the  sound  of  human  voices,  which 
grew  louder  and  louder,  and  we  knew  that  help  was  coming. 

Suddenly  three  men  sprang  out  of  the  darkness,  chal- 
lenging us  with  loaded  guns.  I  replied,  "Peace,  I  am 
the  European  teacher."  Then  such  a  shout  went  up, 
and  we  found  that  about  one  hundred  armed  warriors 
were  all  around  us.  But  it  was  a  shout  of  joy  as  they 
recognised  me.  Two  powerful  fellows  seized  me  round  the 
waist  and  lifted  me  hke  a  baby  in  their  arms  on  to  their 
shoulders  and  carried  me  the  rest  of  the  way.  How  I  did 
thank  God  for  their  help  I  Similar  help  was  also  given  to 
the  porters  and  boys,  and  several  bands  of  men  set  off  to 
assist  those  left  behind.  Thus  I  reached  Mwenge  in  a 
sort  of  dream,  borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  my  two 
stalwart  friends,  in  the  midst  of  this  great  band  of 
warriors.  I  learned  afterwards  that  the  reason  for  this 
great  display  of  arms  was,  that  when  they  heard  the 
reports  of  the  gun  they  thought  it  was  an  attack  upon 
their  country  by  some  enemies. 

They  brought  to  me  some  food  and  made  a  big  fire  in 
the  house  in  which  I  lay.  I  had  had  no  food  since  six  in 
the  morning,  and  it  was  9  p.m.  when  we  arrived.  I 
stripped  off  my  wet  things  and  rolled  myself  up  in  a 
native  bark  cloth,  but  very  soon  fever  came  on  and  I  was 
tossing  about  on  my  hard  bed  with  aching  limbs  and 
throbbing  head.  About  midnight  I  heard  a  soft  step  in 
the  room,  and  then  I  felt  a  beautiful  warm  blanket 
thrown  over  me.  I  thought  I  was  only  dreaming,  but  in 
the  morning  I  found  that  my  boy  Elisa  had  gone  off  and 
helped  the  porter  who  was  carrying  my  blankets,  and, 
tired  out  as  he  was,  carried  them  in,  and  while  every  one 
else  was  asleep  he  covered  me  up  and  then  sat  by  my 
bedside  till  morning.  It  was  some  days  before  the  fever 
left  me,  and  during  it  all,  this  boy  Elisa  sat  by  me  ;  some- 
times he  would  fetch  cold  water  to  bathe  my  fevered 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


215 


brow,  or  feed  me  with  spoonfuls  of  soup,  never  leaving 
me  for  more  than  a  moment  or  two.  It  was  not  the  first 
time  that  he  had  showed  his  devotion  to  me.  It  was 
perfectly  wonderful  to  note  how  this  untutored  lad,  not 
long  emerged  from  heathenism,  had  learned  the  art  of 
lovingkindness.  With  this  devoted  attention  and  nursing 
I  recovered  in  a  week's  time,  and  was  able  to  proceed 
with  my  work  as  a  teacher  at  Mwenge ;  and  it  w^as  most 
encouraging  to  me  and  worth  all  the  trials  of  the  road 


OFF  TO  SEE  PRINCE  MATU.      (REFRESHMENT  BY  THE  WAY.) 

to  see  the  real  earnestness  of  the  people  to  imbibe  the 
blessed  truths  of  the  Gospel. 

From  Mwenge  I  journeyed  to  another  place,  hitherto 
unvisited  by  a  European,  and  again  my  experiences  were 
of  a  very  lively  character.  We  tramped  due  south  for 
two  days,  passing  through  very  wild  but  beautiful  country, 
almost  entirely  uninhabited,  and  finally  arrived  at  a  large 
village.  The  gardens  all  seemed  to  be  in  a  very  dilapi- 
dated condition,  and  I  found  that  famine  was  rife  in  the 
district,  as  there  had  been  no  rain  and  a  terribly  hot  sun 
for  some  long  time.  By  some  strange  coincidence  soon  after 


2l6 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


my  arrival  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents.  The  chief  and 
all  his  people  then  came  to  me  in  great  state,  and  with 
nnich  rejoicing,  and  thanked  me  for  bringing  them  the 
rain,  and  I  was  immediately  hailed  by  all  as  a  great  rain- 
producer,  and  people  came  from  all  quarters  to  see  the 
W'Onderful  white  man  who  had  brought  the  rain  !  I  tried 
to  tell  them  that  it  was  not  I  but  God  who  gives  the  rain 
and  the  sunshine  and  all  things  beautiful ;  but  they  said, 
"  Who  is  God  '?  We  don't  know,  but  we  know  that  you 
are  a  great  white  man  who  has  given  us  the  rain  !  " 

Another  day's  journey  brought  us  to  another  large 
village,  the  capital  of  the  district,  wdth  its  prince,  called 
Matu,  and  here  I  had  another  adventure. 

When  I  approached  the  village  I  saw  all  the  women 
leave  it  and  the  men  only  collect  upon  a  hill.  I  took  no 
notice  of  this,  but  went  straight  into  the  village  and  sat 
down.  Presently  the  men  all  came  towards  me,  and  I 
greeted  Prince  Matu  and  asked  him  if  I  might  spend  the 
night  in  his  village.  After  some  little  whispered  con- 
versation with  his  chiefs  he  consented,  and  took  me  to  a 
small  hut  on  the  outskirts  and  told  me  I  might  sleep 
there  if  I  liked.  As  it  was  tolerably  clean  I  decided  to 
sleep  in  the  hut  and  not  put  up  my  tent.  The  people 
w^ere  not  at  all  friendly  and  kept  out  of  our  way  as  much 
as  possible.  I  put  it  down  to  the  fact  that  they  had 
never  seen  a  white  man  before,  and  were  very  naturally 
afraid  of  him.  It  was  about  seven  o'clock,  and  I  had  just 
finished  my  evening  meal  and  was  walking  about  in  the 
banana  garden  in  the  moonlight,  when  some  little  distance 
aw^ay  I  heard  some  people  talking  very  eagerly  together. 
I  crept  up  as  quietly  as  possible  and  listened  to  their  con- 
versation. I  was  thunderstruck !  What  was  this  I 
heard  ?  Sitting  on  the  ground  before  a  small  fire  wwe 
two  men  ;  the  one  I  thought  I  recognised  as  the  chief, 
the  other  was  one  of  his  followers,  a  great  fellow^  with 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


217 


massive  shoulders.  The  purport  of  their  conversation 
was  this:  "How  can  we  kiU  the  European  and  possess 
ourselves  of  his  two  cows?"  I  was  completely  taken 
ahack  as  I  listened,  and  my  first  idea  was  to  spring  out 
upon  them  both  and  accuse  them  of  their  intention  of 
taking  my  life.  However,  so  fascinating  was  the  conver- 
sation that  I  kept  perfectl}^  still  and  listened  intently. 
I  could  not  catch  all  that  was  said,  but  I  most  distinctly 
heard  the  man  who  was  talking  with  the  chief  say,  "  I 
will  spear  him  through  the  side  of  the  hut  when  he  is 
asleep."  This  was  quite  enough  for  me,  so  I  returned 
noiselessly  to  my  little  hut.  My  boys  had  placed  my  bed 
on  the  right  side,  close  up  to  the  wall  of  the  hut.  My 
first  precaution,  therefore,  was  to  get  the  boys  to  move 
the  bed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  hut,  without  telling 
them  ni}^  reason  for  this  alteration.  I  took  it  for  granted 
that  the  man  whom  I  had  heard  talking  to  the  chief  had 
actuall}^  been  to  the  hut  to  see  upon  which  side  my  bed 
was  put.  I  next  tied  up  my  little  dog  Sally  to  the  door- 
post, and  finally  rolled  m3'self  up  in  my  blankets,  lay 
down  upon  my  bed,  and  waited.  Somehow  or  other, 
as  is  so  often  the  case,  the  very  suspense  made  me 
sleepy,  and  I  dozed  off  quite  peacefully.  Suddenly  I 
heard  Sally  growl  verv  quietly,  but  quite  loud  enough 
to  at  once  arouse  me.  I  listened  in  breathless  excite- 
ment, and  then  Sally  gave  one  of  her  short,  sharp 
barks  and  I  was  out  of  bed  in  a  twinkling,  deliberately 
pushed  open  the  door,  and  walked  out  into  the  moonlight. 
There  stood  my  would-be  assassin  with  spear  upraised, 
just  by  the  very  spot  where  my  bed  had  originally  been 
placed.  When  he  caught  sight  of  me  he  seemed  to  gasp 
and  then  to  vanish  into  thin  air.  I  listened,  but  not  a 
sound  could  I  hear,  so  I  returned  to  my  hut,  closed  the 
door,  and  again  flung  myself  down  uj^ion  my  bed  and  was 
soon  fast  asleep.    Morning  came,  and  when  I  got  up  and 


2l8 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


went  out  into  tlie  villa^i^'e  there  was  not  a  soul  to  be  seen 
anywhere.  The  chief  and  all  his  men  had  fled  ;  having 
been  discovered  in  the  very  act  of  atteniptnig  to  take  my 
life,  they  naturally  thought  I  should  wreak  my  vengeance 
upon  them  in  the  morning,  and  so  they  fled  and  I  saw 
them  no  more. 

This  is  not  altogether  an  uncommon  way  the  people  of 
these  districts  have  of  attempting  to  put  a  person  to 
death.  My  former  colleague,  Mr.  A.  B.  Fisher,  who  left 
Toro  at  the  end  of  189(3,  was  visiting  one  of  these  places 
round  Toro,  and  had  pitched  his  tent  in  the  centre  of  a 
village,  when,  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  some  ruftian 
thrust  his  spear  right  through  the  tent,  the  very  side 
where  Fisher  was  sleeping.  It  pierced  the  fly  of  the 
tent  and  the  tent  itself,  right  through  the  two  blankets 
that  were  covering  him,  and  stuck  into  the  bed,  and  yet 
by  a  most  merciful  Providence  did  not  even  scratch  the 
occupant  of  the  bed.  So  we,  who  choose  the  wilder  parts 
of  Africa  in  which  to  live,  that  we  may  do  what  we  can 
to  dispel  the  darkness,  must  go  forth  with  our  lives  in 
our  hands,  trusting  only  to  the  All-Seeing  One  to  protect 
us  from  dangers  which  we  ourselves  are  helpless  to  avert. 
But  even  a  visit  such  as  I  have  just  described  to  Prince 
Matu,  although  apparently  such  a  failure,  was  by  no 
means  so.  When  I  got  back  to  the  Toro  Mission  station 
about  a  month  afterwards  a  messenger  came  to  me  from 
this  very  man  Matu,  asking  that  teachers  might  be  sent 
to  himself  and  his  people,  so  that  they  might  learn  to 
read  the  Xew  Testament. 

I  did  not  return  immediately  to  the  station,  as  I  have 
stated  above,  but  after  visiting  Matu  took  a  journey  to 
the  Semliki  valley.  There  are  living  upon  these  plains  a 
lot  of  wild  fellows  who  live  upon  what  they  can  hunt, 
and  we  were  desirous  of  getting  to  know  them.  The 
first  place  I  came  to  was  Xsororo,  which  in  the  early 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


219 


days  was  a  fort  (Wavertree)  occupied  by  a  small  section 
of  Soudanese  for  the  protection  of  the  country  of  Toro 
from  raiders  from  the  north.  Nothing  of  this  fort  could 
we  see,  but  there  was  a  very  large  garden  with  lots 
of  people.  Here  I  found  one  of  the  porters  who  had 
accompanied  me  to  Mwenge  wiien  w^e  had  to  go  through 
the  rain  and  storm,  and  whom,  as  he  reminded  me,  I  had 
helped  over  the  sw^ollen  river,  carrying  his  load  for  him. 
He  brought  me  two  eggs,  saying  that  he  was  very  poor, 
but  that  I  w^as  his  dear  friend,  and  he  felt  he  must  bring 
me  some  small  present. 

The  next  day  w-e  had  to  cross  a  low  range  of  hills 
which  overlook  the  great  Semliki  plains.  For  three 
hours  we  were  going  up  and  up  very  gradually,  and  all 
through  thick  mist,  so  that  we  could  only  just  see  the 
path  a  few  yards  before  us.  Quite  suddenly  we  came 
to  a  sharp  edge,  and  the  path  seemed  to  disappear  at  our 
very  feet ;  and  then  the  mist  lifted  and  a  magnificent  view 
presented  itself.  Eight  before  us,  and  yet  seeming  to 
be  miles  away,  was  the  great  plain  stretching  away  to  the 
Congo  Free  State.  There  in  the  dim  distance  w^ere  the 
indistinct  outlines  of  the  Barega  Hills.  Through  the  very 
heart  of  the  valley  flowed  the  great  river  Semliki,  wind- 
ing its  way  in  and  out  like  a  great  red  vein  ;  a  little  to 
the  north  we  could  see  the  beautiful  Albert  Lake,  its 
waters  sparkling  in  splendour  with  the  reflected  sun  rays, 
like  a  sheet  of  burnished  silver.  Our  path,  as  I  said, 
seemed  to  disappear  at  our  feet,  and  we  now^  had  a  rare 
stiff  bit  of  w^ork  in  descending.  Sometimes  very  steep, 
always  rocky  and  rough — down,  down  we  went  for 
another  three  hours,  when  at  last  we  stood  upon  the 
plain,  and  one  hour's  walk  brought  us  to  a  large  village 
on  the  banks  of  a  beautiful  river,  a  tributary  of  the 
Semliki.  I  pitched  my  tent  close  to  the  river-side  under 
the  shade  of  the  lovely  trees.    Here  were  all  kinds  of 


220 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


birds  and  the  air  seemed  filled  with  the  music  of  their 
song,  mingled  with  the  gentle  ripple  of  the  stream  as  it 
raced  along  over  its  pebbly  bed. 

We  were  ofT  again  at  six  the  next  morning,  and  soon 
became  aware  that  all  around  us  were  the  graceful 
antelope,  just  waiting  as  it  seemed  to  tempt  us  to  shoot 
them.  It  was  only  a  very  tiny  village  that  we  reached, 
inhabited  by  a  dozen  or  so  hunters.  I  therefore  spent  a 
little  time  hunting,  and  without  much  difficulty  brought 
down  three  fine  reed  buck,  which  I  deemed  sufficient  for 
our  immediate  need.  Another  tramp  across  the  plain  for 
about  three  hours,  passing  through  beautiful  green 
pastures  stretching  away  to  the  north,  and  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  see,  dotted  all  over  w^ith  many  kinds  of 
antelope,  elephants,  &c.,  but  there  were  very  few^  people. 
Once  we  came  upon  a  little  hut,  but  it  seemed  to  be 
occupied  only  by  an  old  hunter,  who  spent  a  week  or  so 
hunting  and  then  returned  to  the  haunts  of  men. 

Having  reached  the  banks  of  the  Semliki  river,  and  not 
desiring  to  cross  to  the  other  side,  we  retraced  our  steps, 
and  in  six  days  reached  the  Mission  station  again  without 
any  further  adventure. 

My  next  trip  was  to  Mboga,  a  large  country  to  the  w^est 
of  the  Semliki  river,  and  about  six  days'  march  from  Kaba- 
role.  I  left  about  4  a.m.  with  four  of  my  boys  and  about  a 
dozen  porters. 

Our  first  camp  was  in  a  village  at  the  foot  of  the 
Chwantegi  Hills.  About  four  in  the  afternoon,  as  I 
sat  in  my  tent,  I  heard  a  great  yelling  and  crying,  and 
climbing  a  tree  which  grew  close  to  my  tent,  I  soon  found 
out  the  cause.  A  huge  elephant  was  having  a  game  in 
the  gardens  and  houses  of  the  people.  Now,  I  thought, 
here  is  a  chance  to  distinguish  myself  ;  I  have  only  got  a 
Martini  rifle,  and  if  I  can  kill  an  elephant  with  tliat  what 
a  great  Nimrodic  act  it  will  be  !    At  that  moment  the 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


221 


village  people  came  racing  to  me  and  begged  of  me  to  go 
and  shoot  the  beast  ;  and  so,  seizing  my  gmi  and  with  a 
look  of  determination  which  seemed  to  startle  the  natives, 
I  set  off  alone  after  this  gigantic  creature.  I  first  found 
the  path  it  had  made  through  the  forest,  and  very  gingerly 
I  picked  my  way  after  it  (for  it  had  finished  "  making 
hay  "  w4th  the  houses  for  a  time  and  retired  into  the 
bush).  I  said  I  was  alone,  but  it  is  true  that  I  was 
followed  at  some  distance  by  half  a  dozen  shivering 
blackies  armed  with  spears.  On  I  went  as  steadily  as 
possible,  and  then  suddenly  there  stood  the  leviathan  of 
the  forest,  not  ten  yards  in  front  of  me,  but  all  that  I 
could  see  were  its  hind  legs  and  its  tail.  One  of  the  boys 
who  had  got  near  to  me  now  immediately  said  in  a  husky 
whisper,  "  G/z'g  f/iYe  "  ("Kill  it !  kill  it !  ").  Yes,  that's  all 
very  well,  but  I  think  the  sight  of  that  huge  monster  was 
quite  enough  to  settle  for  me,  that  to  attempt  to  shoot 
with  a  Martini,  would  be  about  as  much  as  my  life  was 
worth.  The  fact  is,  I  came  to  my  senses  at  that  moment 
and  felt  just  a  "pygmy  w^th  a  pop-gun,"  for,  good  as  a 
Martini  is,  elephant  is  big  meat  to  knock  over,  and  he 
does  not  die  too  quickly,  but  has  a  kind  of  way  about 
him  when  wounded  which  would  make  the  fleetest  pray 
for  wings.  So  what  I  did  was  to  stand  and  look  at 
him,  and  no  more  dreamed  of  firing  than  of  flying. 
It  was  not  long,  however,  before  my  presence  was 
observed,  and  a  terrific  crash,  which  seemed  like  a  young 
earthquake,  forcibly  reminded  us  that  something  bigger 
than  a  dormouse  was  about.  Fortunately  he  took  a 
forward  movement,  and  ploughed  his  way  through  the 
forest,  huge  trees  snapping  like  matchwood  against  his 
colossal  sides.  My  mind  was  then  fully  made  up  that  it 
was  time  to  return  to  camp. 

The  next  morning  we  pursued  our  journey,  and  our 
path  led  up  the  mountain-side.    We  had  to  pass  over 


LV  DWARF  LAND. 


the  Mountains  of  the  Moon,  and  although  we  crossed 
at  the  most  northerly  extremity,  the  highest  point 
we  reached  was  over  6,000  feet  above  sea-level.  At 
the  smnmit  just  before  we  descended  a  very  large 
water-buck  dashed  out  of  the  long  grass  in  front  of  me, 
and  stood  about  150  yards  off,  to  see  who  we  were.  It 
was  standing  a  second  too  long,  for  a  bullet  from  the 
Martini  laid  it  low,  and  the  meat  was  divided  amongst 
the  hungry  porters. 

At    the    western    side    of    the    mountains   of  the 


BAMBA. 

Moon  we  found  ourselves  among  an  entirely  different 
tribe  of  people  called  the  Bamba.  Wild,  and  grossly 
ignorant,  men  and  women  alike  practically  nude, 
adorned  with  numberless  charms,  and  some  with  bits  of 
wood  pierced  through  the  nose  protruding  at  either  nostril, 
others  with  pieces  of  wood  sticking  upright  m  the  upper 
lip.  All  the  women  seemed  to  wear  iron  rings  round  their 
necks,  some  had  six  or  seven  of  them,  which  must  have 
weighed  at  least  5  lbs.  These  rings  were  curled  like 
a  watch  spring  at  each  end,  and  were  quite  artistically 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


223 


made.  The  men,  and  some  of  the  women,  have  their 
teeth  sharpened  to  points,  very  much  hke  shark's  teeth. 
Their  food  consists  of  native  beans  and  potatoes ;  rats 
and  snakes,  hzards  and  frogs  being  counted  as  kixnries. 

Through  the  kindness  of  their  chief  I  was  taken  to  see 
the  wonderful  hot  springs  of  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon. 
They  are  situated  right  at  the  base  of  Mount  Gordon 
Bennett,  and  present  a  most  remarkable  appearance  to 
the  traveller.  Nothing  could  be  more  strange  and  fan- 
tastic than  the  approach  to  these  wonders  of  Central 


HOT  SPRINGS. 


Africa.  The  chief  promised  me  a  guide  to  direct  me  to 
the  place.  About  twenty  young  Bamba  warriors,  all 
armed  with  their  spears,  presented  themselves  to  me,  as 
being  prepared  to  take  me  to  this  strange  place. 

We  first  climbed  the  mountain  some  hundreds  of  feet, 
and  then  one  of  the  men  pointed  out  to  me  in  the  distance 
what  looked  like  a  beautiful  feathery  cloud  resting  just 
above  the  earth's  surface.  This  I  was  told  was  where 
the  springs  were.  We  made  our  way  down  the  hill  again 
and  entered  a  thick  forest  which  runs  all  along  the 


224 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


western  base  of  the  mountain.  We  followed  a  tiny  path 
winding  in  and  out  amongst  the  dense  undergrowth  for 
about  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  then  we  suddenly 
came  upon  a  large  well-made  road,  evidently  much  used, 
and  along  this  we  tramped.  I  asked  what  made  the  path 
so  big,  and  w^as  told  that  it  was  constantly  traversed  by 
numbers  of  sick  folk  who  came  every  day  from  the 
districts  round  to  bathe  in  the  springs. 

Suddenly  we  were  made  aware  of  a  distinct  rise  in 
the  temperature  and   also   of    a   nasty   sickly  odour. 


NATIVES  WASHING  IN  HOT  SPRINGS. 


The  vegetation  very  rapidly  became  ultra- tropical,  and 
ferns,  which  in  other  places  were  small  and  stunted,  here 
were  large  trees.  The  whole  scene  was  changed.  The 
path  led  through  this  most  beautiful  vegetation  for  about 
a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then  we  entered  a  thick  cloud 
of  highly  odoriferous  steam,  and  then  into  a  wide,  open 
space  all  over  which  were  little  bubbling  springs  of  boil- 
ing water.  Some  were  much  bigger  than  others,  the 
largest  was  throwing  up  water  to  about  a  foot  in  height. 
A  thick  deposit  encrusted  the  whole  area.     The  water 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


227 


tasted  of  sulphur  and  potash,  and  was  quite  unpalatable. 
All  the  water  as  it  bubbles  up  passes  into  one  large  stream 
and  this  is  again  lost  in  the  forest. 

We  crossed  the  Semliki  in  a  small  canoe  that  was  at 
hand,  about  20  feet  long  and  IJ  feet  beam,  cut  out  of  a 
solid  tree.  The  river  at  that  point  was  seventy  yards 
wide  and  the  current  was  very  strong.  This  brought  us 
to  our  next  camp,  another  Bamba  village.    All  night  long 


TABALO,   CHIEF  OF  MBOGA. 


we  were  kept  awake  by  the  tramping  and  trumpeting  of 
innumerable  elephants.  I  never  heard  such  a  row,  there 
must  have  been  at  least  fifty  of  them.  While  we  were 
sitting  outside  a  hut  about  9  p.m.  roasting  native  pota- 
toes by  the  camp  fire,  a  big  herd  of  them  came  charging 
towards  the  village.  Fortunately  their  course  was  turned 
by  the  yelling  of  the  natives,  and  we  again  sat  down  to 
roast  our  suppers.  Early  in  the  morning,  just  as  I  got 
out  of  bed,  the  boys  came  to  me  and  said  some  water- 


228 


/.V  DWARF  LAND. 


buck  were  close  to  tlie  house.  I  took  up  my  rifle  and 
went  outside,  and  there,  not  fifty  yards  away,  quietly 
feeding  in  the  garden  upon  potato  tops,  was  a  small  herd. 
I  was  able  at  once  to  replenish  our  larder  for  the  day 
without  any  difficulty.  The  village  people  begged  me  to 
shoot  some  meat  for  them  as  they  said  they  were  half 
starved,  and  seeing  a  herd  of  cobus  cob  a  little  way  from 
the  village  I  went  after  it  and  l^rought  down  nine  full- 
grown  bucks  in  less  than  an  hour.  This  greatly  rejoiced 
the  hearts  of  the  poor  hungry  folk. 


CHURCH  AT  MBOGA,  WITH  TWO  WAGANDA  TEACHERS. 

After  six  days'  tramp  we  arrived  at  Mboga.  Here  w^e 
were  most  heartily  welcomed  by  the  people.  This  little 
church  has  suffered  no  little  persecution.  AVhen  Christi- 
anity was  first  introduced  by  Waganda  teachers  the  chief 
of  the  country  strongly  objected  to  his  people  imbibing  its 
teaching,  and  when  he  found  that  in  spite  of  his  threats 
they  continued  steadfastly  to  believe,  he  did  his  utmost  to 
stamp  out  the  new  religion  from  the  country.  He  adopted 
all  the  most  horrible  tortures  he  could  think  of,  killing 
some  of  the  converts,  burning  down  their  houses,  thrash- 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


229 


iiig  the  teachers,  and  finally  driving  away  into  the  forest  all 
who  had  in  any  w^ay  attached  themselves  to  the  new^  faith. 
But  it  was  all  of  no  avail ;  the  little  band  of  Christians 
met  day  after  day  in  a  secluded  spot  in  the  forest  and 
there  continued  to  offer  to  God  their  praises  and  their 
wwship.  Finally,  the  chief  himself  admitted  that  Christi- 
anity had  conquered,  and  he  began  diligently  to  search 
himself  to  see  what  kind  of  religion  it  was  that  made 
his  people  so  different,  and  that  made  them  able  to  suffer 
and  even  die  rather  than  give  it  up.  It  resulted  in  his 
conversion,  and  he  w^elcomed  back  his  teachers  and  his 
people,  rebuilt  their  houses  and  their  church.  But  then 
came  the  Batatela  rebellion,  of  which  I  have  spoken  in 
the  preceding  chapter,  when  the  rebels  again  hunted 
dowai  the  Christians  and  drove  all  the  people  into  the 
forest.  In  spite  of  all  this  trouble  the  Christians  stood 
firm  to  their  faith,  and  at  the  present  time  the  Mboga 
church  stands  as  a  witness,  on  the  very  confines  of  the 
dark  forest,  to  the  power  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 
I  spent  a  week  with  these  whole-hearted,  simple  folk, 
then  returned  to  Toro. 


CHAPTEE  XII 


SOUDANESE  REBELLION 

Political  troubles — ^Iwanga's  flight — Major  Tenian  wounded — ^Iwauga's 
capture  l)y  tlir  (  MTinaus — Uganda  regents — A  record  journey  ^Major 
IMacdonaldV  cx[)L'diti(jn — Soudanese  rebellion —  Its  cau^^es — British 
pluck — Battle  of  Luba's  Hill — Murder  of  Major  Thurston — Disarming 
the  Soudanese  in  Mengo — Native  auxiliaries-  Night  attack — Battle 
on  the  plain  at  Luba's — Some  one  has  blundered — Eeinforeements — 
Destroying  banana  gardens — Death  of  George  Pilkington  and  Lieu- 
tenant Macdonald. 

THE  year  1897  was  filled  with  a  succession  of  unfore- 
seen political  troubles,  and  since  the  occupation  of 
the  country  by  the  British  there  has  never  been  so  much 
cause  for  anxiety  in  Uganda. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year,  as  I  have  already  mentioned, 
the  Batatela  rebellion  which  occurred  in  the  Congo  Free 
State,  although  doing  little  damage  in  the  British  Pro- 
tectorate, caused  much  unrest  and  serious  apprehension, 
especially  in  the  western  provinces  of  the  Protectorate, 
and  the  Government  did  not  know  how  soon  it  might  be 
necessary  to  have  to  meet  an  attack  upon  its  possessions 
from  that  quarter.  In  May  of  the  same  year  a  plot  was 
discovered  by  Mr.  George  Wilson,  officer-in-charge  at 
Kampala,  in  which  three  chiefs  of  Uganda  were  im- 
plicated. 

Fortunately  it  was  brought  to  light  in  the  nick  of 
time,  and  two  of  them  were  sent  as  prisoners  to  the 

230 


/X  DWARF  LAXD. 


Eldoma  Ravine,  but  the  third  Gabriel,  the  lioinan 
Cathohc  Miijasi  (head  of  the  army),  managed  to  escape. 

The  king  was  suspected  of  having  had  something  to 
do  with  this  attempt  to  bring  about  the  rising  against  the 
Government.  Knowing  that  he  was  suspected,  and  ever 
being  a  most  arrant  coward,  he  ran  away  from  Mengo  in 
July  and  escaped  to  Budu.    It  was  rather  an  ignominious 


MWANGA,  EX-KING  OF  UGANDA. 


flight  for  a  king  ;  he  could  not  even  find  friends  enough 
in  Mengo  to  make  his  escape  worthy  of  a  king  ;  not  even 
being  able  to  trust  his  gate-keepers,  he  actually  cut  his 
way  through  the  great  fence  that  surrounds  his  dwelling, 
and  was  accompanied  by  only  one  chief.  He  fled  to  the 
lake-shore,  and  there  procured  three  small  canoes. 

His  reason  for  running  away  would  seem  undoubtedly 


LV  DWARF  LAND. 


to  have  been  his  fear  of  the  consequences  of  his  connivance 
with  the  other  three  plotters.  But  for  some  long  time  he 
had  been  dissatisfied  v^ith  the  restraint  that  vv^as  laid  upon 
him  ;  no  longer  could  he  carry  on  his  old  evil  practices  of 
murder  and  bloodshed  and  crime  of  every  kind,  and  he 
disliked  the  moral  restraints  that  the  British  Government 
naturally  imposed  upon  him ;  of  course  many  of  the 
heathen  most  deeply  sympathised  with  him  in  this. 

Dr.  Cook,  of  Uganda,  waiting  on  July  12th,  says  : 
"  Nearly  all  the  police  have  deserted ;  they  went  off  wdth 
guns  last  night  to  join  Mw'anga.  The  Katikiro  (Prime 
Minister)  wrote  rather  a  gloomy  letter  to  Walker,  saying 
he  does  not  realise  how  serious  a  matter  it  is,  and  that 
the  people  hate  and  detest  the  conquerors.  .  .  .  The 
King  hates  the  Europeans  because  they  stopped  his  gross 
immoralities ;  the  chiefs  hate  us  because  a  Christian  is 
expected  only  to  have  one  wife,  and  because  no  slaves  are 
allowed ;  and  the  people  hate  us  because  they  say  they 
are  obliged  to  carry  loads  and  make  roads  (measures 
adopted  by  the  Government  for  the  good  of  the  country), 
and  because  the  old  heathen  customs  are  dying  aw^ay. 
The  worst  of  it  is  the  Katikiro  says  half  of  the  Waganda, 
when  they  get  to  the  scene  of  w^ar,  are  likely  to  desert  to 
the  King's  side.  The  only  faithful  natives  are  the 
Protestants.'' 

It  is  also  stated  that  Mwanga,  before  running  away, 
had  sent  to  all  the  feudatory  states — to  Busoga  in  the 
east  and  Toro  in  the  w^est,  to  Kaba  Kega,  ex-king  of 
Unyoro,  asking  them  all  to  join  in  a  revolution,  drive  out 
all  the  Europeans  from  Uganda,  and  restore  their  old 
heathen  customs. 

When  the  King  reached  Budu  most  of  the  important 
Roman  Catholic  chiefs  joined  him,  and  the  French  priests 
who  resided  there,  fearful  lest  they  should  be  captured, 
w^ere  escorted  by  a  small  force  of  Soudanese  troops  to  the 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


233 


borders  of  that  province.  Active  measures  were  at  once 
taken  to  suppress  the  rising,  and  Major  Ternan,  the  acting 
Commissioner,  with  a  smaU  force,  routed  Mwanga's  army 
in  Budu,  which  then  consisted  of  several  thousand  guns, 
beside  thousands  of  spearmen.  Major  Ternan  received  a 
w^ound  in  the  shoulder,  but  it  was  only  slight,  and  did 
not  incapacitate  him  for  renewed  efforts  against  the  now 
scattered  foe.  This  smash-up  of  Mwanga's  forces  at  the 
very  outset  rather  discomfited  the  King,  and  he  fled  into 
German  territory.  But  it  was  an  unlucky  move  for  him. 
The  German  officers,  who  wxre  on  the  alert,  pounced 
upon  him  when  he  was  quite  unprepared,  and  took  him 
prisoner  to  Mwanza  towards  the  south  end  of  the  Victoria 
Lake.  He  was  proclaimed  an  outlaw,  and  his  infant  son, 
Daudi  Chwa,  was  placed  upon  the  throne  of  Uganda  on 
August  14th.  Three  regents  w^ere  selected  to  administer 
the  necessary  Government  matters,  Apolo  Kagw^a,  and 
Mugwania — the  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic  Prime 
Ministers,  or  Katikiros — and  the  Kangao,  a  leading 
Protestant  chief. 

The  same  month  the  rebels  in  Budu  again  collected 
and  fought,  with  great  loss  to  themselves,  against  the 
troops  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Hobart  and  Mr. 
Grant.  In  reply  to  a  letter  of  thanks  sent  to  Major 
Ternan,  upon  his  arrival  in  England,  by  Sir  John  Kenna- 
way,  "  for  the  consideration  and  active  concern  he  had 
shown  for  the  safety  of  the  missionaries  during  these 
native  rebehions,"  Major  Ternan  said  :  "It  has  been  a 
great  pleasure  to  me  to  have  been  of  use  to  my  friends  of 
the  Mission  of  Uganda,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  drawing 
the  attention  of  Lord  Salisbury  to  the  really  excellent 
example  set  by  the  C.M.S.  missionaries  in  Uganda.  At 
a  very  critical  moment  they  remained  at  their  posts, 
though  surrounded  by  rebels,  and  by  so  doing  reassured 
the  native  chiefs  in  their  vicinity,  and  were  able  to  furnish 


234 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


us  with  valuable  information  when  most  needed.  I  am 
very  glad  I  should  have  this  opportunity  of  bringing  to 
the  notice  of  the  Society  the  very  high  opinion  that  we 
have  of  the  members  of  the  Mission  in  Uganda." 

Early  in  September  I  left  Toro  on  a  visit  to  Mengo,  in 
order  to  settle  certain  matters  with  reference  to  our  work. 
Of  the  troubles  recorded  above  we  in  Toro  were  practically 


DAUDI  CHWA,  PRESENT  KING  OF  UGANDA. 


ignorant.  We  had  heard  vague  reports  that  Mwanga  had 
fled,  but  had  put  them  down  as  merely  native  stories,  and 
it  was  only  as  I  approached  Uganda  that  I  found  in  what 
a  very  unsettled  state  the  country  was. 

I  made  a  record  journey  into  Mengo,  accomplishing  the 
whole  distance  (close  upon  two  hundred  miles  by  road)  in 
eight  days.    Nothing  of  any  importance  occurred  during 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


235 


the  journey,  but  soon  after  I  arrived  most  alarming  news 
came  to  us. 

In  the  middle  of  1897  Major  (now  Colonel)  Macdonald, 
E.E.,  w^as  sent  out  by  the  Foreign  Office  to  conduct  an 
exploratory  expedition  in  the  districts  adjoining  the 
Italian  sphere  of  influence,  to  the  north-east  of  Lake 
Kudolph,  and  the  authorities  in  the  Uganda  Protectorate 
were  instructed  to  supply  him  for  this  purpose  with  three 


SOUDANESK  TKOOPS. 


hundred  Soudanese  troops  and  a  number  of  porters. 
Major  Ternan  having  left  for  the  coast,  Mr.  W.  F. 
Jackson  took  over  the  duties  of  Acting  Commissioner  of 
the  Uganda  Protectorate.  Just  as  Major  Macdonald 
was  about  to  start  northward  a  large  portion  of  the 
Soudanese  who  were  supplied  to  him  by  the  Protectorate 
deserted.  Mr.  Jackson  immediately  followed  them  to 
their  camp,  after  their  desertion,  at  the  Eldoma  Ravine, 
and  asked  their  reasons  for  deserting,  which  they  readily 


236 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


gave.  First,  they  were  tired  of  being  sent  on  successive 
expeditions  while  many  of  their  companions-in-arms 
were  comfortably  settled  in  stations.  Second,  they  were 
not  allow^ed  to  take  their  women  with  them.*  Third,  they 
were  going  to  a  foodless  and  waterless  country,  where 
in  all  probability  they  would  die.  Fourth,  the  old  com- 
plaint, that  they  were  underpaid  and  insufticiently  fed. 
Their  grievances  were  undoubtedly  of  some  weight, 
especially  that  concerning  their  pay.  Five  rupees  a 
month  is  hardly  the  rate  of  pay  one  w^ould  expect  to  be 
meted  out  to  a  regiment  of  native  troops  of  the  British 
Government.  They  had  been  introduced  into  Uganda  by 
Captain  (now  Colonel)  Lugard  in  1891  and  1892,  being- 
remnants  of  the  old  force  used  by  Dr.  Emin  Pasha  in  the 
Equatorial  Province,  and  left  by  him  at  Kavali's  on  the 
south-west  shore  of  Lake  Albert  ;  and  from  the  time  of 
their  entrance  into  the  British  Government  employ,  their 
pay  had  been  but  slightly  raised.  It  is  alw^ays  a  mistaken 
policy,  and  an  expensive  one  too,  to  try  and  run  a  Pro- 
tectorate like  that  of  Uganda  on  insufficient  means.  But 
it  is  not  for  me  to  enlarge  upon  the  right  or  wrong  of  the 
Soudanese  complaints,  but  merely  to  tell  the  plain  facts 
as  they  occurred. 

A  very  grave  mistake  was  made  at  the  very  outset 
of  the  mutiny,  which  no  doubt  made  it  a  far  more 
serious  business  than  it  otherwise  would  have  been. 
Captain  Kirkpatrick,  of  the  Uganda  Kifies,  after  trying  to 
get  the  rebels  of  No.  4  Company  to  lay  down  their  arms, 
ordered  the  Maxim  to  be  fired  upon  them,  having  given 
them  five  minutes  in  which  to  comply,  and  they  having 
refused  to  do  so.  This  action  made  it  then  quite  impos- 
sible to  expect  them  to  quietly  talk  the  matter  of  their 

*  The  Soudanese  women  always  carry  the  cooking-pots  and  food,  &c., 
of  the  men,  and  prepare  the  food  for  their  husbands  when  they  arrive  in 
camp  at  night. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


237 


grievances  over  with  their  officers.  They  immediately 
marched  westward  to  Nandi,  and  were  joined  by  other 
companies.  Most  of  the  Nandi  garrison  joined  them, 
taking  possession  of  all  the  ammunition,  and  making  a 
prisoner  of  Captain  Bagnall,  who  w^as  in  charge  there  at 
the  time,  but  finally  left  him  nnhm't.  The  Soudanese, 
who  were  at  the  other  station  called  Mumia's,  also  joined 
them,  and  Mr.  Tompkins,  who  was  in  charge,  had  a  most 
marvellous  escape,  and  it  was  only  sheer  British  pluck 
that  saved  him  and  preserved  the  fort  from  the  hands  of 
the  rebels.  When  he  heard  they  were  coming  he  at  once 
put  into  the  fort  a  mixed  lot  of  Swahilis  who  were  un- 
trained soldiers,  and  by  showing  a  bold  front,  in  spite  of 
the  weakness  of  his  garrison,  turned  the  tide. 

At  the  time  this  happened  I  was  staying  at  Ngogwe,  a 
large  place  between  Busoga  and  Mengo,  where  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  had  a  flourishing  station,  and  it  was 
here  that  I  met  brave  Major  Thurston  on  his  way  to 
Busoga  to  try  and  negotiate  with  the  rebels  before  they 
committed  themselves  further.  He  was  at  the  time 
suffering  very  considerably  from  illness,  and  we  tried  to 
urge  him  to  stay  a  day  or  two  to  recruit  his  strength, 
but  he  evidently  knew  more  than  we  did  of  what  had 
happened,  and  how  important  it  was  for  him  to  push 
on  without  delay.  Alas  !  when  he  reached  Luba's  Fort 
in  Busoga  the  Soudanese  w^ho  were  garrisoned  there 
joined  the  rebels  and  made  prisoners  of  Major  Thurston, 
Mr.  Wilson,  and  Mr.  Scott,  the  last  named  having  been 
sent  from  Mengo  by  lake  with  a  fresh  supply  of  ammu- 
nition and  a  Maxim  gun  for  Major  Macdonald  when  he 
arrived.  The  main  body  of  the  rebels  had  reached 
Busoga  by  this  time,  and  the  whole  party  fortified  them- 
selves in  Luba's  Fort.  Major  Macdonald  and  Mr. 
Jackson  reached  Luba's  on  October  18th,  and  imme- 
diately fortified  themselves  in  a  strong  position  over- 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


lookiiio-  the  fort  by  the  lake  shore,  which  was  occupied 
by  the  rebels. 

The  whole  of  the  Major's  force  consisted  of  ten  Euro- 
peans, eighteen  Sikhs,  and  about  840  Swahilis — a  mixed 
crowd,  most  of  whom  were  new  to  arms  ;  and  he  also  had 
but  a  very  limited  supply  of  ammunition.  The  first  real 
fight  took  place  on  October  19th,  the  rebels  coming  up  to 
Major  Macdonald's  position  in  great  force,  and  as  they 
approached  they  shouted  out  that  they  had  come  for 
a  "parley,"  and  at  the  same  time  it  was  clearly  seen 
that  they  intended  an  immediate  attack.  It  was  a  very 
severe  fight,  Lieut.  Fielding  being  killed,  Mr.  Jackson 
severely  wounded,  and  Dr.  Macpherson  slightly  so.  Of 
the  troops  sixteen  were  killed  and  thirty  wounded.  At 
one  time  it  looked  as  if  the  British  must  be  defeated, 
but  the  battle  w^as  finally  won,  and  the  Soudanese  suffered 
defeat,  returned  to  their  fort,  and  at  once  murdered 
Major  Thurston,  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Scott. 

That  same  morning  a  different  scene  was  taking  place 
in  Mengo.  At  6  a.m.  messages  came  from  Kampala  to  the 
missionaries  at  Namirembe,  asking  some  to  go  up  at  once 
well  armed,  as  there  was  to  be  an  attempt  to  disarm  the 
Soudanese  garrison,  wdiich  was  then  at  Kampala.  I  was 
one  of  three  who  went.  Upon  our  arrival  there  we  soon 
saw  how^  things  stood.  At  the  bottom  of  the  hill  w^ere  the 
Soudanese,  all  armed,  and  in  the  fort  were  about  a  dozen 
Europeans,  each  with  a  rifle ;  over  the  fort  wall  was 
pointed  a  Hotchkiss  gun,  but  the  whole  of  the  breach 
was  out  of  working  order,  and  it  could  not  possibly  have 
been  used  even  if  an  attack  had  been  made  upon  us.  A 
Maxim  also  was  close  at  hand  ;  this  the  gunsmith  had  in 
pieces,  as  it  had  jammed,  and  therefore  that  also  was 
practically  useless.  A  deputy  from  the  officer  in  charge 
was  then  sent  down  to  try  and  negotiate  with  the 
Soudanese,  and,  if  possible,  get  them  to  lay  down  their 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


239 


amis  peaceably,  and  warning  them  that  if  they  refused 
we  should  open  fire  upon  them.  After  half  an  hour's 
conversation  they  consented  to  do  so,  and  it  was  a  great 
relief  to  us  all  to  see  them  bring  their  guns  and  ammuni- 
tion and  lay  them  dowai.  All  were  then  collected  and 
brought  into  the  fort,  and  the  danger  we  so  much  dreaded 
was  averted  for  the  present.  Native  auxiliaries  were 
then  sent  off  from  Mengo  to  help  in  the  suppression  of 
the  rebels  at  Luba's,  between  three  and  four  thousand 


KATIKIRO  OF  UGANDA,   WITH  HIS  SOX. 


Waganda,  under  their  own  chief,  the  Katikiro  being  in 
command. 

On  October  26th  they  had  their  first  engagement,  and 
fought  most  nobly,  charging  right  up  to  the  fort  walls, 
alas  !  only  to  meet  with  an  awful  slaughter  from  the 
reserved  Maxim  fire  of  the  wily  rebels.  Dr.  Cook  and 
Mr.  Geo.  Pilkington  offered  their  services  to  the  Govern- 
ment, the  former  to  the  wounded,  and  the  latter  to  help 
in  interpretation  work,  that  there  might  be  no  misunder- 
standing between  the  European  officers  and  the  Waganda 
auxiliaries. 


240 


IN  DWARF  LAXD. 


On  the  '26th  and  '28th  of  October  the  Waganda  lost 
twenty  killed  and  fifty-four  wounded  ;  on  November  24th 
their  losses  were  sixty  killed  and  280  wounded. 

On  October  31st  Mr.  Wilson,  of  Kampala,  sent  and 
asked  if  more  of  the  missionaries  would  offer  to  go  to 
the  front.  Three  of  us  at  once  volunteered  our  services, 
and  started  off,  viz.,  Messrs.  Fletcher,  Wilson,  and  my- 
self. 

The  first  day  we  walked  about  thirty-four  miles  before 
7.30  in  the  evening,  and  the  following  day  reached  a 
place  called  Mondos,  and  the  third  day  reached  Busoga, 
climbed  the  hill,  and  were  most  heartily  welcomed  into 
the  fort  by  Major  Macdonald.  Mr.  Jackson,  who  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  first  fight,  was  taken  into  Mengo 
the  same  day,  and  Dr.  Cook  accompanied  him. 

It  was  a  novel  sensation  to  be  aroused  at  daybreak  by 
the  bugle  call,  and  one  had  to  rub  one's  eyes  a  second 
time  before  one  fully  realised  the  position  of  affairs. 

The  fort  which  we  occupied  was  built  on  a  hill  over- 
looking the  lake,  and  commanding  a  complete  view  of  the 
rebel  fort,  which,  as  I  have  said,  was  built  on  the  shores 
of  the  lake.  The  fighting  force  at  the  command  of  Major 
Macdonald  was  not  sufficient  to  make  any  definite  attack 
upon  the  rebels,  whose  position  was  an  exceptionally 
strong  one. 

However,  on  Tuesday,  9th,  a  half-hearted  attack  was 
made  upon  us ;  all  was  peaceful  when  we  retired  to  rest, 
but  about  twelve  o'clock  a  gun  was  fired,  followed  imme- 
diately by  tw^enty  or  thirty  others.  As  soon  as  I  heard 
the  first  shot  I  was  out  of  bed ;  there  was  a  tremendous 
storm  of  rain,  which  made  it  almost  impossible  to  see 
anything.  All  I  could  find  out  was  that  around  me,  on 
every  side,  volley  after  volley  was  being  fired,  and  the 
bullets  were  whizzing  about  my  head.  I  staggered 
through  the  lllinding  rain  to  the  fort  wall,  and  then 


AV  DWARF  LAXD. 


241 


found  that  an  attack  was  certainly  being  made,  but  a 
very  feeble  one,  and  our  men  were  just  recklessly  throwing 
away  their  powder.  Then  the  Maxim  commenced,  and 
some  twenty  or  thirty  rounds  were  fired ;  what  at,  I 
could  not  imagine,  for  I  could  not  see  the  sign  of  any- 
thing living  outside  the  fort.  The  fight,  or  fusilade, 
lasted  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  but  it  seemed  much  longer  ; 


A  FAITHFUL  UGANDA  CHIEF. 


the  enemy  then  apparently  withdrew.  Several  of  our 
men  described  narrow  escapes  they  had  had,  but  there 
were  no  casualties  to  record.  One  of  the  Sikhs,  however, 
who  was  standing  on  the  Maxim  bastion  declared  that 
one  of  the  rebels  rushed  up  within  ten  yards  of  the  fort 
wall  and  fired  at  him  point  blank,  the  bullet  just  missing 
him,  going  over  his  shoulder.     When  all  had  quieted 

17 


242 


IN  DJVARF  LAND. 


down  we  retired  again  to  rest,  leaving  an  extra  guard  in 
case  of  another  attack.  In  the  morning  the  friendly 
Waganda  made  an  attack  upon  the  Soudanese,  but  could 
do  very  little.  The  rebels  held  their  ground,  and  nine 
Waganda  were  killed  and  twenty  badly  wounded.  During 
their  attack  the  Hotchkiss  gun  w^as  fired  on  and  off  into 
the  enemy's  fort,  but  whether  any  damage  was  done  is 
very  doubtful. 

On  November  24th  a  severe  fight  took  place.  Being 
unable  actually  to  storm  the  fort,  on  account  of  the 
smallness  of  our  force,  it  was  decided  to  advance  within 
five  hundred  yards  of  the  rebel  fort  and  set  up  a  strong 
position  there,  while  the  auxiliaries  built  a  fort  on  the 
plain  within  eight  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  fort ; 
this  to  be  occupied  by  a  strong  force  so  as  to  make 
it  impossible  for  the  Soudanese  to  leave  their  fort  to 
procure  food.  Major  Macdonald,  having  gone  into 
Kampala,  Captain  Woodward  was  put  in  charge.  In  the 
very  early  morning  wdth  a  force  of  about  two  hundred 
Swahilis  and  tw^o  Maxim  gun  detachments  composed 
of  Indians,  we  moved  from  our  fort  on  the  hill  to 
attack  the  mutineers  and  to  take  up  the  position  above 
named.  The  Waganda  guns  w^ere  ordered  to  carry  on 
operations  on  our  right  and  left  flank,  the  entire  force  to 
advance  simultaneously.  Unfortunately  the  Waganda, 
in  their  eagerness  for  the  fray,  and  being  quite  un- 
accustomed to  the  ordinary  methods  of  European  war- 
fare, rushed  forward  and  commenced  a  heavy  fire  upon 
the  rebels,  who  were  in  the  wood  just  to  the  right  of  the 
fort.  This  w^as  kept  up  the  whole  time  that  we  were 
getting  into  position,  namely,  till  7.30,  when  the  Sou- 
danese were  obliged  to  retire,  and  we  advanced  to  within 
250  yards  of  their  fort,  and  held  out  for  nine  hours.  The 
mutineers  made  several  counter  attacks  upon  our  flanks, 
and  twice  the  W^aganda  retired,  leaving  our  lines  exposed. 


IN  DWARF  LAND, 


243 


but  our  Swahilis  behaved  splendidly,  and  repulsed  the 
attack. 

While  this  position  was  being  held  Captain  Woodward 
pointed  out  a  spot  and  gave  instructions  to  the  Waganda 
to  build  a  small  fort,  but  through  some  extraordinary 
mistake  the  fort  was  built  in  a  hollow,  being  com- 
pletely overlooked  on  two  sides,  and  a  thick  wood 
being  but  a  hundred  yards  away  from  the  third  side. 
Therefore,  when  evening  came  it  was  found  to  be  utterly 


MY  PERSONAL  ESCORT  DURING  SOUDANESE  REBELLION. 


untenable,  and  it  was  evident  to  all  that  some  one  had 
blundered."  Consequently  that  day's  fighting  was  abso- 
lutely useless  in  hastening  the  termination  of  the  affair, 
as  we  all  had  to  retire  to  our  fort  at  the  top  of  the  hill. 

The  Waganda  loss  was  very  heavy,  no  less  than  340 
being  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  Swahili  loss  was  twenty- 
four,  but  no  European  was  touched.  Personally,  I  was 
here,  there,  and  everywhere  while  the  fight  continued.  In 
the  first  place  I  was  sent  to  look  after  the  stretchers  and 
assist  the  wounded.    The  stretcher  carriers,  however,  ran 


244 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


off,  and  so  these  were  useless.  Then  in  interpretation 
work  I  was  kept  fully  occupied. 

About  the  middle  of  the  day  one  of  the  officers  in  charge 
of  a  company  of  Swahilis  fell  sick,  and  I  was  sent  to  take 
his  place  ;  and  it  was  then  that  I  had  a  very  narrow 
escape.  I  was  standing  by  my  men,  who  were  firing 
volleys  at  intervals  under  a  very  heavy  return  fire  from 


MIKA,  MY  FAITHFUL  GUN-BEAEEE. 


the  rebels,  when  a  bullet  struck  my  hat,  piercing  the 
crown,  and  just  missing  my  skull.  Then  a  rush  was 
made  upon  the  left  flank,  which  was  occupied  by  the 
Waganda,  and  who  retired.  It  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  I  got  my  men  turned  in  time  to  meet  the 
attack.  My  boys,  who  had  accompanied  me  on  this 
occasion,  also  displayed  great  bravery.    I  was  next  sent 


IN  DWARF  LAND, 


245 


up  to  the  right  flank  to  look  after  a  Sikh  who  had  been 
badly  wounded.  I  found  the  poor  fellow  dying,  and  while 
I  was  by  his  side  another  rush  was  made  upon  us,  and 
about  twenty  desperate  fellows  came  charging  down  upon 
us,  firing  as  they  advanced.  However,  our  Maxim  was 
turned  upon  them,  and  they  retired  a  little,  only  to  renew 
their  efforts  in  a  similar  way  ;  this  time  the  Maxim 
jammed,  and  had  to  be  carried  to  the  rear  ;  we  turned  our 
flank,  and  a  second  time  repulsed  them. 

On  one  occasion,  while  sitting  eating  a  little  food, 
a  bullet  struck  the  ground  not  six  inches  from  me,  and 
flung  up  the  dust  over  my  repast. 

On  the  30th  of  November  reinforcements  arrived  that 
greatly  cheered  our  drooping  spirits.  Captains  Harrison 
and  Bagnall,  and  Corporal  Brodie,  and  295  Swahilis  and 
a  Maxim. 

Major  Macdonald  again  took  the  command  at  Luba's 
on  the  5th  of  December,  and  on  the  same  day  Lieutenant 
Macdonald,  with  fourteen  Sikhs  and  fifty  men  of  the  expe- 
dition arrived,  with  an  additional  supply  of  ammunition. 

On  the  7th  another  fight  took  place ;  three  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  with  a  Maxim,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Woodward,  went  down  on  to  the  plain  to  con- 
struct a  new  work  within  nine  hundred  yards  of  the 
enemy's  fort.  A  fierce  attack  was  made  upon  us,  and 
for  some  time  the  issue  seemed  uncertain,  but  the  steady 
volleys  from  Captain  Harrison's  well-trained  men  finally 
caused  the  rebels  to  slacken  their  efforts,  and  at  4  p.m. 
the  new  fort  was  so  far  completed  as  to  be  quite  defen- 
sible. A  garrison  of  some  two  hundred  men  was  put 
into  it  for  the  night.  During  the  day  our  losses  were 
not  heavy,  the  Swahilis  losing  five  wounded,  and  the 
Waganda  three  killed  and  four  wounded,  but  it  was 
estimated  that  the  rebel  loss  was  heavy,  probably  thirty 
killed  and  wounded. 


246 


IN  DWARF  LAAW. 


The  same  night  the  mutineers  fired  ahout  two  hundred 
rounds  at  the  fort,  wounding  one  man. 

On  the  10th  of  December  a  covering  party  was  sent 
out  under  Captain  Harrison,  w^hile  the  work  of  destroying 
the  banana  gardens,  from  which  the  rebels  obtain  their 
food,  was  carried  on,  but  only  a  few  shots  were  ex- 
changed, and  there  was  no  serious  loss  on  either  side. 

At  one  time  during  the  day  w^e  began  to  w^onder  what 
the  rebels  were  up  to,  as  there  was  no  response  to  our 
shots,  and  so  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  fort  I  very 
quickly  climbed  a  tree,  with  the  intention  of  spying  out 
the  land.  I  had  climbed  about  10  feet  when,  whiz-z-z 
came  a  bullet  just  above  my  head,  breaking  the  small 
twigs  close  to  me,  and  I  hurriedly  descended.  The 
man  who  fired  at  me  was  on  the  rebel  fort  w^all,  with 
several  others.  Captain  Harrison,  having  seen  this, 
took  twelve  picked  men,  and  one  other  European,  and 
crept  up  in  the  grass  to  within  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  yards  of  the  fort,  and  commenced  sniping.  But 
a  party  of  the  rebels,  seeing  that  the  captain  w^as  right 
away  from  the  rest  and  had  only  a  small  number  of  men 
with  him,  made  a  charge  at  them,  and  wlien  within 
about  thirty  yards  fired  a  volley ;  but  it  was  done 
hurriedly,  and  the  bullets  missed  their  mark  ;  this  neces- 
sitated a  very  speedy  return  of  the  snipers. 

How^ever,  on  the  following  day,  when  Captain  Harrison 
again  took  out  his  covering  party,  that  the  Waganda 
might  continue  their  work  of  cutting  down  the  banana 
gardens,  a  most  furious  atttick  on  the  front  and  left  of 
our  force  was  made.  Mr.  George  Pilkington  took  up 
his  position  close  to  Captain  Harrison,  to  superintend 
the  cutting  down  of  the  bananas,  and  no  sooner  had  he 
done  so  than  his  boy  Aloni  saw  a  company  of  Soudanese 
concealed  in  the  grass  close  at  hand,  and  fired  at  them. 
Captain  Harrison  and  Mr.  Pilkington,  thinking  them  to 


IN  DWARF  LA  AW. 


249 


be  Waganda,  reprimanded  the  boy  for  firing  without 
orders,  but  his  fire  was  responded  to,  and  one  of  them 
took  dehberate  aim  at  Mr.  Pilkington  and  fired  several 
times,  hitting  him  in  the  thigh  and  breaking  the  femoral 
artery.  He  was  carried  to  the  rear  and  back  to  the  fort, 
but  died  in  a  few  minutes  after  reaching  it.  Lieutenant 
Macdonald  w^as  also  shot  dead  at  the  same  time,  a  rush 
having  been  made  upon  the  left  flank  which  he  was 
commanding. 

Again  and  again  the  enemy  made  most  desperate 
attacks  upon  our  men,  sometimes  getting  up  to  within 
twenty  yards  of  our  firing  line.  The  Swahilis  fought 
most  bravely,  considering  their  inexperience  as  soldiers. 
All  day  long  the  killed  and  wounded  were  being  brought 
in  until  the  total  had  reached  thirty. 

The  man  who  shot  Pilkington,  after  seeing  him  fall, 
fired  again  at  the  native  officer  (captain)  of  Captain 
Harrison's  regulars.  He  was  a  fine  fellow,  a  Soudanese, 
but  was  loyal  to  the  backbone.  Alas,  the  bullet  took 
effect,  hitting  him  in  the  arm  below  the  elbow,  and 
smashing  the  bone.  The  man  who  shot  him  then  cried 
out,  "  What  are  you  doing  here,  Bilal  ?  I  know  you ; 
have  you  come  here  to  kill  your  brethren "?  Go  back  to 
Egypt."  To  this  the  officer  replied,  "Yes,  we  will  wipe 
you  all  out,  for  you  are  rebels,"  and  with  that  he  drew 
his  revolver  with  his  left  hand  and  shot  him ;  and  thus 
Pilkington' s  murderer  fell. 

After  the  fighting  was  over  w^e  all  withdrew  to  our 
forts,  some  to  the  one  on  the  plain,  others  to  that  on 
the  hill.  The  Major,  on  hearing  of  the  death  of  Pilking- 
ton and  his  brother,  was  much  overcome,  but  he  bore  it 
like  a  soldier  and  a  Christian.  He  said  to  me  that  he 
felt  the  loss  of  Pilkington  most  keenly,  "  My  brother," 
he  said,  "  was  a  soldier,  and  he  died  as  a  soldier  expects 
to  die,  but  this  could  not  be  said  of  Pilkington." 


250 


IN  D]VARF  LAND. 


Just  before  sundown  a  little  band  wended  its  way  out 
of  the  fort,  along  the  ridge  of  the  hill,  every  head  un- 
covered, and  every  heart  bowled  low.  Fifteen  Indian 
Sikhs  in  double  line  marched  slowly  and  with  measured 
steps  in  front,  then  I  followed,  reading  aloud  the  solemn 
words  of  the  Burial  Service  ;  next  came  the  body  of 
Lieutenant  Macdonald  carried  by  six  of  his  fellow  officers, 
and  behind  him  was  the  broken-hearted  Major.  Then 
came  the  second  bier,  that  of  dear  Pilkington,  carried  by 
eight  devoted  Waganda  chiefs ;  and  lastly  followed  the 
other  Europeans  and  a  number  of  Waganda  and  Swahilis. 
The  solemn  procession  at  last  reached  a  spot  on  the 
crest  of  the  hill,  overlooking  the  beautiful  Victoria  Lake, 
into  which  the  glorious  sun  was  just  sinking  ;  and  here 
upon  this  hallowed  spot,  being  that  whereon  Bishop 
Hannington  was  murdered,  w^e  laid  our  brethren  down 
to  rest  with  a  sure  and  certain  hope  of  a  glorious 
resurrection  on  the  great  Easter  morning. 

On  Sunday,  December  12th,  one  of  our  party,  Mr. 
Allan  Wilson,  who  had  joined  the  forces  of  Major 
Macdonald  at  the  same  time  as  myself,  was  taken 
seriously  ill  with  dysentery  and  fever,  and  it  was 
arranged  that  I  should  take  him  in  to  Mengo.  It  was 
a  most  difficult  and  responsible  task,  but  I  decided  to 
do  my  best.  I  left  Luba's  on  the  following  morning, 
and  got  a  number  of  men  to  carry  my  patient  in  a 
hammock,  and  when  we  reached  the  lake  shore  I 
procured  a  canoe,  and  making  it  as  comfortable  as 
possible  with  an  awning  to  keep  off  the  sun,  we  started 
to  cross  to  the  mainland  of  Uganda.  Arriving  at  the 
other  side  in  safety,  wx  met  two  Government  officials, 
who  had  been  instructed  to  protect  the  landing-place 
with  a  small  force  of  Waganda.  At  8  a.m.,  the  third 
day  we  got  to  Ngogwe,  where  Mr.  Baskerville,  of  the 
C.M.S.,  w^as  at  his  post,  in  spite  of  the  troubles  all 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


251 


around,  and  here  at  this  station  I  left  ni}^  charge,  going 
on  alone  into  Mengo  to  deliver  letters  entrusted  to  me 
by  Major  Macdonald.  I  reached  Mengo  at  midday, 
having  tramped  about  fifty-six  miles  in  two  days. 

On  the  16th  of  December  I  was  on  my  way  back  again 
to  the  front,  in  charge  of  a  steel  boat  which  w^as  wanted 
by  the  Major  to  rig  up  as  a  miniature  gunboat ;  and  on 
the  19th  arrived  once  more  at  Luba's.  The  Major 
greeted  me  very  heartily,  and  expressed  his  pleasure  at 
my  return. 

Mr.  Fletcher  and  myself  were  now  the  last  of  the 
missionaries  at  the  front,  and  the  duties  of  the  day  fell 
very  heavily  upon  us.  We  attended  to  the  wounded, 
took  our  turn  with  the  others  as  night  and  day  watchers, 
and  in  addition  to  this  we  were  constantly  called  up 
sometimes  at  midnight  to  act  as  interpreters. 


CHAPTEE  XIII 


SOUDANESE  EEBELLiON  {continued) 


The  major  leaves  for  Budu — Christmas  Day  in  camp — The  mutineers  raid 
the  gardens — Vigorous  attack  upon  the  Waganda  camp — Mwanga's 
escape  from  Germans — Evacuation  of  rebel  fort — I  am  sent  to  Ripon 
Falls — Attempts  to  blow  up  the  dhow — Fort  building  —  Rebels 
attempt  to  cross  into  Uganda—  Indian  troops  arrive — All  into 
Mengo — With  Major  Macdonald  to  Kabagambi — A  responsible  charge 
— A  night  scare — A  brush  with  Mohammedans — Off  again  to  the  front 
— Rifle-stealing —A  kind  offer — INIore  fighting — Severe  struggle  at 
Kabagambi — Death  of  Captain  ]Maloney. 


EWS  of  further  troubles  in  Uganda  having  reached 


-i-^  us,  Major  Macdonald,  with  five  other  Europeans  and 
about  two  hundred  soldiers,  left  on  the  20th  for  Budu  to 
endeavour  to  smash  up  the  rebel  king's  army,  which  had 
again  collected,  and  which  was  doing  considerable  damage 
in  the  country.  We  now  received  the  good  news  that  the 
Indian  troops  that  had  been  sent  by  Sir  Arthur  Hardinge 
from  the  coast  were  to  arrive  in  another  month. 

On  the  23rd  a  skirmish  took  place  at  Luba's.  I  was  the 
officer  on  guard  when  about  eleven  o'clock  I  saw  a  lot  of 
the  rebels  leaving  the  fort  and  coming  in  our  direction ; 
this  I  immediately  reported  to  the  officer  commanding,  and 
a  hundred  of  our  men  were  sent  off  to  meet  them  under 
Captain  Austin.  The  Waganda,  seeing  that  our  force 
was  rather  a  small  one,  and  thinking  that  our  men  would 
be  driven  back,  dashed  down  the  hill  about  three  hundred 


252 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


253 


strong  and  charged  the  mutineers,  reserving  their  fire 
until  at  close  quarters.  The  Soudanese  turned  and  fled, 
and  the  Waganda,  not  knowing  when  to  stop,  rushed  after 
them,  and  it  came  about  that  when  they  were  tired  of 
chasing  them  the  rebels  suddenly  turned  round  upon 
them.  The  Waganda  were  tired,  and,  what  was  worse, 
their  ammunition  was  nearly  done.  The  mutineers  soon 
found  this  out  and  in  their  turn  charged  down  upon  them 
and  drove  them  back  with  considerable  loss  ;  ten  Waganda 
being  killed  and  fifteen  wounded,  while  in  Captain  Austin's 
force  only  two  were  wounded.  At  first  the  Waganda 
leaders  were  much  discouraged  and  inclined  to  blame  the 
Europeans,  as  they  said  that  we  left  them  to  it,  that  they 
had  come  to  our  assistance,  and  when  we  saw  them  come 
we  stopped  advancing.  But  after  all  they  were  in  the 
wrong,  as  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  us  to  have 
followed  them,  going,  as  they  did,  at  full  speed  close  at 
the  heels  of  their  foes. 

Christmas  Day,  with  all  its  holy  memories,  was  spent 
in  quietness,  at  least  so  far  as  the  rebels  were  concerned. 
They  kept  themselves  shut  up  in  their  fort,  and  we  did  in 
ours.  The  flies  were  our  greatest  enemies  on  that  peace- 
ful day  ;  the  heat  was  terrific,  and  this,  combined  with  the 
horrible  state  of  our  camp,  attracted  millions  of  these 
awful  little  pests.  They  would  settle  on  one's  nose  and 
mouth  and  eyes,  and  were  so  anxious  to  procure  the  little 
moisture  which  was  secreted  from  one's  brow  on  a  hot 
day  like  this,  that  they  could  actually  be  picked  off  with 
the  greatest  ease,  and  they  did  not  seem  to  think  of  flying 
away.  In  the  evening  of  the  day  we  tried  hard  to  get  up 
a  little  amusement.  One  commenced  to  sing  "  In  the 
dear  homeland,"  and  immediately  another  fellow  jumped 

up  and  said  "  Look  here,  H  ,  you  just  shut  up  ;  I  can't 

stand  that.  Would  to  God  I  were  in  the  homeland  and 
somewhere  near  my  dear  wife ! "    Another  commenced 


254 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


soon  after  to  hum  "  The  Star  of  Bethlehem,"  and  this 
was  taken  up  by  one  or  two  more,  but  it  was  very  evident 
that  everybody  felt  rather  down.  At  last,  when  a  few  lines 
of  the  "  The  old  folks  at  home  "  were  smig,  several  got  up 
and  went  to  bed,  and  this  crushed  everything,  and  so  the 
day  closed. 

The  mutineers  w^ere  now  getting  very  short  of  food. 
As  described  in  the  previous  chapter  the  banana  gardens 
from  which  they  had  procured  their  support  were 
destroyed,  and  they  had  to  either  starve  or  constantly  go 
further  afield  for  the  necessaries  of  life.  In  the  daytime 
they  could  not  leave  the  fort,  as  our  men  were  ever  watch- 
ful, and  at  once  sent  out  forces  to  stop  them  if  they 
attempted  to  do  so ;  but  at  night  it  was  more  difficult  to 
put  a  check  upon  them,  and  night  after  night  they  would 
go  out  into  the  darkness  and  raid  the  villages,  killing  the 
inhabitants  and  stealing  cattle  and  food.  Once  they  went 
out  in  canoes  they  had,  to  a  place  on  the  mainland  where 
there  was  plenty  of  food,  and  there  in  the  night  they 
murdered  the  inhabitants,  set  fire  to  their  houses,  and 
took  everything  in  the  shape  of  food  that  they  could  lay 
their  hands  upon. 

One  morning  as  I  w^ent  on  w^atcli  I  saw  a  most 
exciting  finish  to  what  had  been  an  exciting  chase. 
A  number  of  the  rebels  had  crossed  by  canoe  to  a 
headland  just  opposite  their  fort,  apparently  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  food,  wdien  they  were  discovered  by 
the  Waganda,  w^ho  had  a  force  on  the  western  bank  of  the 
Nile,  and  who  immediately  manned  several  canoes  and 
chased  them.  I  was  just  in  time  to  see  the  finish.  Two 
of  the  rebels'  canoes  arrived  back  at  their  fort  in  safety, 
but  the  other  two  foundered,  and  the  occupants  were 
thrown  into  the  w^ater  ;  some  were  drowned,  and  others, 
while  clinging  to  the  overturned  boats,  w^ere  captured  by 
the  Waganda  and  taken  ashore.     Several  other  of  the 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


255 


Soudanese  were  caught  on  the  land  and  immediately 
taken  prisoners  and  subsequently  executed. 

On  New  Year's  morning  we  had  a  little  bit  of  excitement. 
Our  big  gun  (21b.  Hotchkiss)  was  fired  -to  usher  in 
the  New  Year,  just  at  twelve  o'clock.  The  shell  was 
directed  to  fall  into  the  rebel  camp,  and  I  believe  did  so. 
At  3  a.m.  the  mutineers,  thinking  they  would  return 
the  compliments  of  the  season,  came  up,  150  strong, 
and  made  a  very  desperate  attack  upon  the  Waganda 
camp.  The  firing  lasted  about  an  hour,  and  at  times  we 
thought  from  where  we  were  that  the  rebels  were  in 
possession.  At  daybreak,  however,  we  found  that  the 
Waganda  had  most  successfully  repulsed  the  attack,  one 
only  of  their  number  being  killed  and  three  wounded, 
while  it  was  estimated  that  the  Soudanese  lost  at  least 
•four  killed  and  six  wounded.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
Waganda  defended  their  camp  most  bravely,  reserving 
their  fire  till  the  last  moment.  It  was  thought  that  the 
Soudanese  expected  that  we  should  come  out  of  our  fort 
in  great  numbers  to  help  the  Waganda,  and  it  was  found 
that  a  large  number  of  the  mutineers  had  been  hiding 
just  a  few  hundred  yards  from  our  fort,  ready  no  doubt  to 
attack  it,  and,  if  possible,  take  possession  as  soon  as  we 
should  leave  it.  They  had  counted  without  their  host, 
and  we  felt  sure  the  Waganda  could  defend  themselves  in 
camp  without  our  aid. 

Then  came  the  most  startling  news,  that  Mwanga,  the 
rebel  King  of  Uganda,  had  escaped  from  the  Germans, 
returned  to  his  country  and  was  collecting  an  army  in 
Budu  to  join  forces  with  the  Soudanese.  Major  Macdonald, 
who  was  in  Mengo,  at  once  started  off  with  a  large  force 
to  meet  him.  Everything  was  looking  very  black  at  this 
time.  It  was  half  expected  that  the  Soudanese  garrisons 
of  Unyoro,  Toro,  and  Budu  would  join  the  rebels,  and  that 
Mwanga,  being  still  recognised  as  king  by  the  common 


256 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


people,  would  have  a  very  large  following.  If  this  were 
the  case  nothing  but  a  trained  regiment  could  ever  win 
back  the  country. 

A  very  fortunate  capture  was  made  at  Fort  Alice,  when 
two  of  Mwanga's  boys,  bearing  one  hundred  letters, 
written  by  Mwanga  to  different  chiefs  asking  them  to 
help,  were  discovered  by  the  aid  of  friendly  Waganda,  and 
thus  did  not  reach  their  destination.  This  was  most 
fortunate,  as  these  letters,  if  distributed  through  the 
country,  would  no  doubt  have  led  to  a  general  rising 
amongst  the  disaffected  Mohammedans  and  heathen. 

The  siege  of  the  mutineers'  fort  had  lasted  nearly  three 
months  when  the  rebels,  reduced  to  but  a  fraction  of  their 
original  number,  evacuated  their  fort  during  the  night  of 
January  9th.  Their  intention  undoubtedly  was  to  join 
hands  with  the  other  Soudanese  who  up  to  that  time  had 
remained  loyal. 

The  Indians  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  our  force  was 
not  large  enough  to  split  up.  The  rebels  had  a  large 
Arab  dhow  and  several  native  canoes,  the  former  being 
at  the  fort  when  they  first  occupied  it.  The  Waganda, 
under  the  command  of  one  of  the  Europeans,  made 
several  attempts  to  stop  the  crossing  of  the  dhow,  but 
the  Wasese  boatmen  were  not  to  be  relied  upon,  and 
whenever  the  enemy  opened  fire  upon  the  canoes  they 
paddled  away  as  hard  as  possible  for  the  shore.  On 
January  7th  I  left  the  fort  on  Luba's  Hill,  in  the  company 
of  Mr.  Fowler  (late  R.N.),  with  orders  to  follow  up  the 
rebels  and  prevent  them,  if  possible,  from  crossing  the 
Nile.  A  large  escort  brought  us  down  to  the  lake  shore, 
where  we  embarked  in  two  large  canoes.  I  was  in  one 
and  Fowler  in  the  other ;  both  of  us  had  a  Maxim  gun 
fixed  to  the  bows  of  the  canoe.  Fowler  set  off  by  lake  to 
try  and  capture  the  rebels'  dhow,  which  had  been  sighted 
in  the  act  of  taking  provisions,  &c.,  to  the  enemy's  camp. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


257 


while  I  proceeded  with  greatest  possible  speed  to  the 
Waganda  camp  at  Lugumba's,  to  help  the  two  Europeans 
who  were  in  charge  there. 

Fowler  seemed  to  have  had  a  pretty  hot  time  of  it,  as  the 
rebels,  when  they  saw  him  coming  towards  them,  opened 
upon  him  a  very  heavy  fire,  and  he  was  obliged  to  retire 
on  account  of  the  unwillingness  of  the  boatmen  to  advance. 
As  soon  as  I  arrived  on  the  mainland  I  went  up  to  see  the 
fort  that  was  being  built  on  the  hill,  overlooking  the  lake, 
to  protect  the  crossing ;  here  I  was  put  in  charge  for  the 
night.  But  about  midnight  Fowler  turned  up  with 
letters,  stating  that  the  rebels  were  making  for  the  cross- 
ing above  the  Ripon  Falls,  which  was  entirely  unpro- 
tected. We  were  both  ordered  to  set  off,  taking  our 
Maxims  and  a  couple  of  canoes,  to  stop  them  if  possible. 
All  night  long  we  wandered  about  in  an  open  boat  waiting 
and  expecting  every  minute  to  come  up  with  a  canoe  full 
of  Soudanese.  Just  at  early  dawn  a  terrible  storm  came 
on  and  made  it  necessary  for  us  to  take  shelter.  For- 
tunately when  we  put  in  to  shore  w^e  found  ourselves  near 
a  small  village,  and  into  a  house,  small  and  filthy  dirty, 
we  crammed  ourselves  ;  it  was  a  case  of  "  any  port  in 
a  storm."  We  w^ere  both  hungry,  having  had  little  or 
no  food  all  the  previous  day ;  fortunately  I  had  with  me 
a  small  tin  of  potted  meat  which  we  ate  with  some  hard 
ship's  biscuits.  We  then  stretched  our  legs  on  two  native 
beds  in  the  hut,  and  I  blush  to  confess  that  we  turned  oat 
two  poor  innocent  darkies  on  that  cold  night  to  get  into 
their  beds,  while  they  sat  by  the  fire  and  shivered. 
The  live  stock  was  far  too  busy  to  allow  us  to  sleep,  and 
in  half  an  hour  we  had  had  quite  enough,  and  as  the  storm 
had  abated,  and  the  sun  was  up,  we  got  into  our  canoes, 
and  in  about  half  an  hour  reached  the  crossing  above 
Ripon  Falls,  with  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we 
were  there  before  the  rebels  had  crossed.    About  three 

18 


258 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


hundred  Waganda  had  come  on  by  land  in  the  night  and 
Avere  there  waiting  for  us. 

The  next  two  days  we  spent  building  a  fort  to 
command  the  crossing ;  and  then  received  instructions 
from  the  officer  in  charge  at  Luba's  to  try  and 
blow  up  the  dhow  under  the  cover  of  night.  At  1  p.m. 
we  once  more  mounted  the  Maxim  on  to  a  large 
canoe.  Our  plan  w^as  as  follows  :  Fowler  was  to  go  off 
in  a  small  canoe  with  four  picked  men  and  was  to  proceed 
along  the  shore  towards  the  rebel  fort,  and  in  the  darkness 
to  creep  near  enough,  and  throw  a  charge  of  dynamite  into 
the  dhow  that  w^as  supposed  to  be  moored  off  the  land 
close  to  the  camp.  I  w^as  to  follow  behind  him  in  the  big 
canoe  with  the  Maxim  and  a  few^  of  our  best  and  most 
reliable  men,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  thrown  in  the  bomb, 
to  open  Maxim  fire  upon  the  rebels  to  cover  Fowler's 
escape.  Our  plans  seemed  beautifully  laid  out  and  w^e 
looked  forward  to  our  task  with  a  great  deal  of  eagerness. 
Alas !  we  wandered  about  up  and  down  the  shore  all 
night  and  no  dhow  could  we  find.  Instead,  however,  of 
returning  direct  to  our  fort  at  the  Kipon  Falls  we  first 
visited  the  big  fort  which  the  rebels  had  evacuated,  and 
around  the  walls  of  which  all  our  fighting  had  been  carried 
on.  There  was  not  a  soul  to  be  seen ;  the  earthworks 
erected  by  the  rebels  were  most  interesting  ;  the  whole 
place  was  honeycombed  like  a  rabbit  warren,  and  holes 
that  the  mutineers  had  dug  to  use  as  rifle  pits,  were 
everywhere,  and  we  at  once  saw  what  a  terrible  disaster  it 
would  have  been  had  we,  with  our  weak  force,  attempted 
to  rush  the  fort ;  for  even  if  we  had  succeeded  in  getting 
mside  we  should  most  likely  never  have  got  out  again 
alive  ;  every  man  would  in  all  probability  have  been  shot 
down  by  unseen  marksmen. 

Again  w^e  spent  the  day  searching  about  the  lake  for 
any  sign  of  the  enemy,  and  at  midnight  orders  came  to 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


259 


us  from  the  commanding  officer  to  return  to  the  fort  at 
Eipon  FaUs.  Fowler  was  then  recalled  to  Luba's  Hill 
and  I  was  left  in  charge  of  the  fort  until  further  notice,  with 
about  five  hundred  guns  and  a  Maxim.  I  immediately  set 
about  strengthening  our  position,  so  as  to  make  it  possible 
for  us  to  withstand  an  attack  from  a  superior  force  of  the 
enemy.  The  walls  of  the  fort  were  made  thicker,  and 
were  loopholed  for  rifles  all  along.  At  three  corners  we 
built  Maxim  bastions,  and  all  round  the  fort  wall  at  a 
distance  of  five  yards  we  put  a  thick  bush  of  thorns  two 
yards  wide,  which  would  be  an  additional  protection  in 
case  of  attack. 

One  day,  a  party  of  rebels  were  seen  on  the  oppo- 
site bank,  and  we  prepared  to  give  them  a  hearty 
reception  if  they  attempted  to  cross,  but  when  they  saw 
our  fort  and  the  Maxim  guarding  the  crossing,  they 
thought  better  of  it  and  went  off  in  another  direction. 
This  news  I  sent  off  to  the  chief  officer,  and  he  at  once 
despatched  reinforcements  to  join  me — Captains  Harrison 
and  Austin,  and  Lieutenant  Malcolm  and  Corporal 
Brodie. 

Captain  Harrison  then  took  charge.  I  had  already 
sent  out  scouts  all  over  the  country  to  get  information, 
and  soon  after  the  Captain  arrived  one  of  them  came 
back  bringing  word  that  the  rebels  had  gone  into  North 
Busoga,  and  had  abandoned  the  idea  of  crossing  at  the 
Eipon  Falls.  In  the  meanwhile  the  first  company  of 
the  Indian  troops,  under  Lieutenant  Scott,  had  arrived  at 
Luba's  and  were  immediately  despatched  by  Captain 
Woodward  into  Mengo  to  help  garrison  the  capital ;  he 
himself  accompanied  them,  as  he  feared  the  Soudanese 
in  Unyoro  would  now  join  the  rebels  and  advance  against 
Mengo.  When  he  arrived  there  with  the  Indians,  he 
found  all  peaceful,  and  heard  that  the  garrisons  in 
Unyoro  were  still  loyal,  and  his  former  information  was 


26o 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


false.  He  then  set  off  along  the  west  bank  of  the 
Lwajali  river,  to  try  and  prevent  the  enemy  from  crossing 
into  Bukoba,  and  thus  to  get  a  free  passage  into  Mengo. 

While  this  was  going  on  Major  Macdonald,  who  was 
in  Budu,  had  a  most  successful  fight  against  Mwanga's 
army,  gaining  a  most  complete  victory,  with  only  the 
loss  of  five  killed  and  twenty-one  wounded,  while  the 
enemy  left  twenty-five  dead  upon  the  battlefield  and 
thirty-five  dead  were  found  in  the  pursuit  which  took 
place  afterwards,  and  forty  wounded.  This  victory  did 
much  to  re-establish  confidence  amongst  the  natives  in 
Budu. 

Strange  to  say,  the  garrisons  in  Unyoro,  &c.,  did  not 
show  any  further  signs  of  rebelling,  and  were  apparently 
waiting  to  see  what  would  be  the  next  move  of  the 
mutineers.  A  very  small  force  was  now  left  at  Luba's 
and  at  the  Ivipon  Falls,  and  the  rest  marched  into  Mengo, 
and  then  on  in  a  northerly  direction,  down  the  left  bank 
of  the  Nile,  to  try  and  stop  the  crossings  ;  but  as  we  jour- 
neyed we  heard  that  it  was  too  late ;  the  enemy  had 
already  crossed,  and  were  in  the  country  that  lies  between 
the  Lwajali  river  and  the  Victoria  Nile.  It  was  evident 
that  the  mutineers  wanted  to  get  to  Mruli,  where  there 
was  a  large  force  of  their  companions  in  arms,  who  were 
up  to  that  time  loyal,  but  who,  they  seemed  to  believe, 
would  join  them  upon  their  arrival  at  their  fort ;  but  to 
accomplish  this  they  first  had  to  cross  the  Lwajali,  and 
this  was  a  difficulty,  the  river  being  choked  up  with  thick 
papyrus  growth,  and  only  very  narrow  channels  being 
cut. 

After  his  victory  over  Mwanga's  army  Major  Mac- 
donald again  turned  his  attention  to  the  Soudanese  rebels, 
and  with  a  large  force  of  Swahili  and  Waganda  he 
followed  after  Captain  Woodward,  Avho,  as  is  stated 
above,  was  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Lwajali. 


IN  DWARF  LA.YD. 


261 


I  was  with  Major  Macdoiiald,  and  by  this  time  was 
getting  quite  used  to  the  mihtary  hfe,  and  much  as  I 
dishked  the  whole  business,  it  was  clearly  my  duty  to 
stick  to  it  to  the  bitter  end,  or  until  it  was  possible  to 
completely  smash  up  the  rebel  force  and  put  Uganda  in 
safety. 

Although  it  was  distasteful,  one  felt  sure  that  one  was 
of  some  little  value  as  an  interpreter,  if  in  no  other  way, 
and  I  willingly  agreed  to  continue  with  the  army.  Up  to 
that  time  I  had  taken  part  in  practically  all  the  engage- 
ments at  Luba's  ;  had  often  been  three  nights  a  week  on 
watch  duty,  had  helj^ed  to  attend  every  day  to  about 
fifty  wounded  men,  and  in  addition  to  all  this  had 
acted  as  interpreter  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night. 
Mr.  Fletcher,  the  other  remaining  missionary,  who  had 
similar  duties  to  my  own,  was  at  this  time  with  Captain 
Woodward. 

B}^  forced  marches.  Major  Macdonald  very  speedily 
caught  up  Captain  Woodward,  who  was  moving  very 
cautiously  and  slowly  along  the  banks  of  the  river.  After 
joining  forces  with  him,  the  Major  selected  Lieutenant 
Scott,  Lieutenant  Malcolm,  Mr.  Fowler,  and  Mr.  Flet- 
cher to  proceed  at  once  by  forced  marches  to  Mruli,  and 
if  possible  to  disarm  the  garrison  there,  which  consisted 
of  Soudanese  troops  ;  then  to  proceed  to  ]\Iasindi  and 
Hoima  and  do  the  same.  Upon  the  success  of  this 
mission  everything  depended.  In  four  days  this  flying 
expedition  reached  Mruli,  and  Lieutenant  Scott  was  able 
with  great  tact  to  rescue  the  Soudanese  garrison  ;  he 
then  marched  to  Masindi,  the  headquarters  of  the  Un- 
yoro  command. 

On  February  4th  the  Major  went  on  an  exploring  tour 
as  far  as  Kabagambi,  reaching  there  about  VI  midday, 
and  then  procured  a  canoe  to  go  out  on  to  the  Lake 
Kioja.    It  took  us  at  least  an  hour  to  push  our  way 


262 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


through  the  papyrus  which  thickly  fringed  the  bank  of 
the  lake  ;  then  we  saw^  that  it  w^as  next  to  impossible  for 
a  large  force  to  cross  the  lake  at  this  point,  and  if 
attempted  a  few  determined  men  armed  with  breech- 
loaders w^ould  well  be  able  to  stop  them. 

The  Major  then  directed  that  all  the  other  canoe 
crossings  should  be  blocked,  and  finally  left  a  party  of 
Waganda  to  guard  the  spot.  Captain  Woodward,  on 
account  of  ill-health,  was  ordered  into  Mengo,  and  I  was 
sent  to  look  after  him,  and  also  to  take  charge  of  fifty 
boxes  of  ammunition  which  were  not  needed  at  the  front. 
He  being  unable  to  walk,  I  had  a  hammock  constructed 
for  him,  and  we  marched  only  in  the  earl 3^  morning  and 
also  in  the  evening,  when  the  sun  had  less  power.  But  it 
was  a  most  difficult  journey.  To  protect  the  fifty  boxes  of 
ammunition  w^e  had  only  twenty  armed  Swahilis  and  the 
porters  to  carry  it,  and  some  seven  days'  journey  before  us. 
This  in  itself  would  have  been  responsibility  enough  for 
one  so  inexperienced  as  a  soldier,  but  added  to  this  w^as 
the  care  and  constant  attention  necessary  for  a  sick  man. 

For  five  days  all  went  well,  and  we  arrived  at  a  place 
called  Kitibwa,  a  few  days'  journey  from  Mengo,  and 
then  our  troubles  commenced.  Late  in  the  evening  the 
chief  came  to  tell  me  privately  that  the  Mohammedans 
had  rebelled,  and  had  joined  the  mutineers ;  that  his  own 
followers,  a  great  number  of  wiiom  were  Mohammedans, 
had  suddenly  disappeared,  whither  he  knew  not,  but 
suggested  that,  having  seen  the  great  quantity  of  ammu- 
nition that  I  had,  and  the  small  force  to  protect  it,  they 
had  arranged  to  attack  us  and  possess  themselves  of  it. 

To  add  to  this,  I  received  a  letter  from  Mengo,  even 
wdiile  the  chief  w^as  talking  to  me,  giving  me  information 
to  the  effect  that  there  was  a  general  rising  of  the 
Mohammedans  in  Mengo  and  elsew^here,  and  telling  me 
to  protect  myself  accordingly.    I  did  not  wish  to  trouble 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


263 


Captain  Woodward  in  his  weak  state  with  these  matters, 
but  unfortunately  he  overheard  the  conversation,  and  I 
told  him  all  ;  he  was  much  upset.  I  suggested  that  w^e 
should  at  once  raise  some  works  to  protect  ourselves,  in 
case  of  an  attack,  and  send  off  into  Mengo  for  reinforce- 
ments. It  was  midnight  when  we  came  to  this  decision, 
and  right  on  into  the  morning  we  w^orked  away  our 
hardest,  making  rifle  pits  for  the  men  to  surround  the 
ammunition.  The  Captain  was  greatly  excited  and 
caused  me  much  anxiety,  for  although  he  was  an  expe- 
rienced officer  I  had  been  put  in  charge  of  the  caravan, 
and  in  his  w^eak  state  of  health  anj^  excitement  would  be 
dangerous.  At  daybreak  our  work  was  done,  and  after 
sending  out  scouts  in  all  directions  we  tried  to  get  a  little 
sleep.  Again  letters  came  in  to  say  that  five  hundred 
Mohammedans  had  collected  at  a  place  not  a  day's 
journey  from  where  we  were  camped,  and  in  a  direct  line 
between  ourselves  and  the  capital.  There  was  nothing 
for  it  but  to  remain  where  we  were,  using  every  pre- 
caution, and  I  was  not  without  hope  that  we  should  be 
able  to  resist  an  attack. 

At  midday  a  report  reached  us  that  a  European 
from  Mengo  w^as  coming  tow^ards  us,  and  would  arrive 
before  nightfall.  Very  patiently  we  waited,  and  sin- 
cerely hoped  he  had  a  good  number  of  men  with 
him  to  reinforce  our  small  escort.  About  4  p.m. 
a  fusilade  of  musketry  was  distinctly  heard  not  far 
from  us,  and  we  at  once  sent  off'  scouts  in  that 
direction  to  find  out  the  cause.  In  an  hour  they  came 
back,  saying  that  a  large  party  of  Mohammedans  had 
attacked  a  loyal  chief  with  his  following,  and  had  beaten 
him  off,  killing  several  of  his  men  ;  but  the  scouts  also 
said  that  the  enemy  had  gone  on  to  the  north.  Strangely 
enough,  these  men  had  actually  passed  within  an  hour's 
march  of  our  little  camp,  probably  having  heard  of  the 


264 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


approach  of  the  European  from  Mengo,  and  being  afraid 
to  attack  us  on  that  account. 

Just  before  dark  the  European  arrived,  but  to  our 
astonishment  had  only  a  dozen  recently  raised  native 
troops.  However,  we  had  to  make  the  best  of  it ;  all 
night  long  we  maintained  a  very  careful  watch,  and  kept 
sending  in  all  directions  small  skirmishing  parties,  so  as 
to  give  us  immediate  warning  of  any  approach  of  the 
enemy. 

The  night  passed  by  in  safety,  and  before  daybreak 
we  started  for  Mengo.  At  10  a.m.  the  sun  was  so 
hot  that  I  felt  it  would  not  be  right  to  keep  Captain 
Woodward  exposed  to  it  longer  ;  we  camped  by  the 
roadside  on  a  hill,  but  unfortunately  all  around  us  was  the 
high  tiger  grass,  capable  of  hiding  a  whole  army,  and 
completely  obscuring  our  view  of  the  surrounding  country, 
there  being  no  better  position  anywhere  near.  We 
cleared  as  much  ground  as  possible,  and  stacking  all  the 
ammunition  in  the  centre  of  the  camp  pitched  our  tents 
close  by  and  arranged  the  small  forces  at  our  disposal  in 
a  complete  circle  round  the  camp.  When  night  came  on 
all  seemed  quiet,  and  the  scouts  which  were  constantly 
coming  and  going  reported  no  appearance  of  the  enemy. 
The  others  retired  to  rest,  but  I  remained  on  watch 
through  the  night. 

I  had  entered  my  tent  about  2  a.m.  to  sit  down 
for  a  moment,  having  just  inspected  the  guard,  when 
a  great  cry  arose  close  to  our  camp  and  a  shot  was 
fired.  I  ran  out  immediately  and  inquired  of  the 
sentry  what  was  wrong,  and  he  reported  having  seen 
a  large  party  of  the  natives  on  the  northern  side  of 
our  camp  and  one  had  fired  at  him.  The  men,  by 
this  time,  were  all  at  their  post  ready  for  action, 
but  no  enemy  appeared,  and  I  began  to  think  that  the 
sentry  had  been  dreaming,  and  had  discharged  his  own 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


265 


rifle.  As  a  last  precaution  I  sent  off  in  the  direction 
he  indicated  a  small  skirmishing  party  of  picked  men. 
They  had  just  disappeared  into  the  darkness  when  a 
fusilade  commenced  from  that  quarter  and  they  returned. 

My  man  Mika,  who  had  accompanied  them,  told  me 
that  they  had  met  with  a  party  of  Mohammedans  lying  in 
the  grass  only  one  hundred  yards  from  camp,  and  they 
had  fired  upon  them  and  then  chased  them  as  they  fled. 
He,  Mika,  had  caught  one  of  them,  and  was  in  the  act  of 
bringing  him  into  camp  when  the  fellow  had  suddenly 
produced  a  knife  which  was  concealed  in  his  cloth,  and 
slashed  out  at  Mika  and  unfortunately,  in  the  struggle  that 
ensued,  had  made  his  escape.  However,  he  brought  into 
camp  the  fellow^'s  cloth  which  he  had  been  wearing 
and  had  slipped  out  of  when  he  escaped,  also  a  small 
bundle,  containing,  amongst  other  things,  letters  of  an 
incriminating  character  written  by  some  chief  to  incite 
the  Mohammedans  to  rebel.  There  was  no  sleep  that 
night,  all  had  to  keep  ready  for  immediate  action  ;  but 
as  is  so  often  the  case  when  all  is  ready  for  giving  the 
enemy  a  warm  reception,  he  keeps  away  ;  and  he  did  so 
that  night. 

We  got  safely  into  Mengo  the  next  morning  about 
eleven  o'clock,  and  I  confess  it  was  a  great  relief  to  me  to 
see  that  ammunition  stacked  up  in  the  fort  at  Kampala, 
and  to  know  that  there  my  responsibility  ended.  Captain 
Woodward  was  little  the  worse  for  his  journey  from  the 
front,  but  was  invalided  home  a  week  after  his  arrival  in 
Mengo. 

I  had  one  day  in  Mengo  to  rest,  then  was  again 
despatched  to  the  front  to  catch  up  the  Major,  w^ho  was 
somewhere  in  Bugerere.  A  very  large  caravan,  consisting 
of  about  three  hundred  loads  of  provisions,  iS:c.,  was  put 
under  my  care.  I  was  the  only  European,  and  I  had  an 
escort  of  forty  Swahilis  armed  with  Martini  rifles.  As 


266 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


we  could  not  leave  till  '1  p.m.  we  were  obliged  to  camp 
within  five  miles  of  Mengo,  but  even  here  enemies  were 
met  with.  I  had  arranged  sentries  at  different  points  to 
guard  the  camp,  but  Swahili  sentries  are  not  at  all  par- 
ticular about  keeping  awake,  and  one  of  these  gentlemen 
went  to  sleep,  to  find  in  the  morning  that  his  rifle  had 
been  stolen.  Another  fellow,  against  orders,  had  left  the 
camp  late  in  the  evening  with  the  pretence  of  buying 
food,  when  he  was  set  upon  by  two  Mohammedans  ;  he 
fired  at  them,  but  missed,  and  was  then  overpowered  and 
his  rifle  taken,  together  with  his  belt  of  ammunition, 
and  he  himself  left  senseless  by  the  roadside. 

The  following  day,  while  performing  a  very  long  march, 
I  was  seized  with  fever,  and  in  a  short  time  was  quite 
incapacitated  for  walking.  The  men  made  a  rough 
stretcher,  upon  which  I  was  carried  to  Nakanyonyi. 
When  I  arrived  there  I  was  more  dead  than  alive. 
At  last  the  reaction  had  come ;  up  to  that  time, 
through  all  the  horrible  scenes  of  war  and  bloodshed  I 
had  come  in  perfect  health,  never  getting  even  a  scratch, 
although  I  had  taken  part  in  no  less  than  eleven  engage- 
ments ;  at  last  to  be  laid  low,  by  the  most  subtle  of  all 
foes — malaria. 

It  was  very  fortunate  for  me  that  at  Nakanyonyi  there 
resided  a  C.M.S.  Missionary,  Eev.  G.  E.  Blackledge,  one 
of  the  three  who  had  accompanied  me  up-country  from 
Zanzibar  to  Uganda.  Most  tenderly  he  nursed  me, 
putting  me  into  his  own  bed,  and  himself  taking  charge 
of  the  great  caravan  that  I  had  brought.  All  that  night 
I  lay  in  a  critical  condition,  and  the  next  morning  I  was 
not  much  better.  It  was  imperative  that  the  caravan 
should  proceed  at  once,  as  much  depended  upon  main- 
taining a  constant  supply  of  food  at  the  front. 

Mr.  Blackledge  most  nobly  offered  to  take  my  place, 
and  go  forward  with  the  caravan.    I  was  deeply  grateful 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


267 


to  him  ;  for  it  would  have  been  the  death  of  ine  to  move 
again  for  a  day  or  two. 

He  reached  Major  Macdonald  on  the  18th  of  February, 
just  in  time  to  join  in  a  most  successful  skirmish  with  the 
enemy.  While  in  the  act  of  pitching  camp  a  strong  force 
of  the  enemy  advanced  against  them  with  flags,  but  our 
men  met  them  with  a  terrific  fire  ;  then  fixing  bayonets 
they  charged,  and  the  enemy  fled,  leaving  their  dead  and 
wounded  behind  them.  Several  were  taken  prisoners, 
and  a  number  of  rifles  captured.  Our  total  loss  was 
fifteen  killed  and  wounded  and  the  enemy's  at  least 
twenty-five. 

In  the  meantime  Lieutenant  Scott  with  his  contingent 
of  Indians  had  been  completely  successful,  and  now  all 
fear  as  to  whether  the  Unyoro  garrisons  would  join  the 
rebels  had  vanished  and  strong  hopes  were  entertained 
that  the  whole  affair  would  speedily  be  brought  to  a  close. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  another  fight  took  place  at  Kabagambi, 
where  the  enemy  had  built  a  strong  fort,  but  were  com- 
pletely smashed  up  by  Captain  Harrison's  force,  after 
one  and  a  half  hour's  fighting  of  the  severest  character. 
When  the  fort  was  captured  one  of  the  enemy's  officers 
and  two  sergeants  were  taken,  and  no  less  than  514 
women  and  children  who  had  followed  the  rebels,  and  the 
majority  of  whom  belonged  to  companies  in  Mengo  who 
had  not  mutinied.  The  enemy  left  one  officer  and  thirty- 
two  men  dead  about  the  fort,  and  their  total  loss  was  pro- 
bably not  far  short  of  a  hundred  men.  The  British  loss, 
however,  was  heavy :  ten  killed  and  seventeen  wounded  ; 
amongst  whom  were  Captain  C.  A.  Malony,  K.A.,  who 
subsequently  died  of  his  wounds,  and  Lieutenant  P.  B. 
Osborn,  Oxfordshire  Light  Infantry. 

But  here  my  connection  with  the  rebellion  came  to  an 
end.  I  know  it  was  but  an  insignificant  part  that  I  played, 
but  most  gladly  I  did  what  I  could,  and  although  the 


268 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


honours  and  distinctions  that  were  showered  upon  the 
mihtary  section  did  not  reach  the  missionaries,  still  our 
ample  reward  came  with  the  knowledge  of  the  fact  that 
w^e  had  done  our  duty  as  Englishmen. 

Some  have  severely  criticised  us  missionaries  for  taking 
any  part  whatever  in  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion,  and 
others  have  even  looked  coldly  upon  us  and  condemned  us  ; 
but  we  can  only  hope  that  our  example  will  have  no 
harmful  effect  upon  the  tender  consciences  of  such,  and 
will  stimulate  others  to  act  upon  the  principle  contained 
in  the  words — 

"  Where  duty  calls,  or  danger, 
Be  never  wanting  there." 

N.B. — Subsequent  events  have  shown  that  the  fight 
mentioned  above  was  practically  the  finish  of  what  has 
proved  the  most  serious  affair  in  the  history  of  the  Central 
African  Protectorate  of  Uganda.  The  rebels  were  then 
driven  into  the  Bukedi  country,  and  their  leader  w^as 
killed.  Mwanga,  the  rebel  king  of  Uganda,  and  Kabarega, 
of  Bunyuro,  were  captured  in  April  of  this  year,  1899, 
and  have  been  transported  to  the  coast.  Peace  was  then 
finally  established  in  the  country. 


PART  III 


UGANDA  TO  THE  WEST  COAST 
CHAPTEE  XIV 

UGANDA  TO  CONGO  FEEE  STATE 

Westward  Ho— Uganda  escort — An  alarm — Blackened  ruins — Elephants 
— My  reasons  for  journey  through  Pygmy  land — The  Bishop's  con- 
sent— Preparations  for  the  start — Farewells— Escorts — The  start — 
Violent  earthquakes — Elephants  again — A  glorious  sight — A  faithless 
donkey — Sally  submerged — An  elephant  hunt — Another  snake  story — 
Wakonjo  village — Kikorongo — Chased  by  a  hippo — Katwe — Hospitality 
of  No.  X.  Company — Their  loyalty. 

THE  illness  which  I  iiientioiied  in  the  previous  chapter 
continued  with  great  severity  for  a  month,  and  when 
convalescent  I  had  a  fortnight's  cruise  on  the  Victoria 
Lake,  visiting  Kagei,  at  the  south  of  the  lake,  which  is 
two  hours  from  Nasa,  and  also  calling  at  the  two  German 
stations  of  Bukoba  and  Mwanza.  I  was  very  soon  active 
and  strong  once  more,  and  the  cruise  on  the  lake  was 
most  invigorating,  and  blew  away  all  the  traces  of  fever. 

When  I  got  back  to  Mengo  I  w^ent  straight  to  Her 
Majesty's  Commissioner  in  Uganda  and  asked  his  per- 
mission to  proceed  at  once  to  Toro.  To  my  great  joy  he 
consented,  providing  that  I  had  with  me  a  sufficient  escort, 
as  it  was  supposed  that  Mwanga  was  still  about  the 
neighbourhood  of  Ankole.    Of  course  to  this  I  readily 

269 


LV  njJ\4RF  LAND. 


agreed  ;  the  officer  in  charge  at  Kampala  kindly  gave  to  me 
three  Snider  rifles  with  which  to  arm  my  boys.  I  next 
visited  the  Katikiro  of  Ugando  and  asked  him  to  levy 
for  me  fifty  Waganda  guns  to  accompany  me  to  Toro. 

About  a  week  from  that  time  all  w^as  ready ;  thirty 
Waganda  guns  instead  of  fifty,  but  quite  sufficient  I 
judged  for  anything  we  should  want. 

The  first  day  out  from  Mengo  I  had  a  review  of  all  the 
men,  examined  their  arms,  and  to  my  amusement  found 
that  not  more  than  fifteen  of  the  men  had  more  than  one 
charge  of  pow^der  and  two  caps,  and  only  tw^elve  men  had 
bullets  of  any  kind,  but  they  seemed  perfectly  satisfied, 
and  told  me  that  if  the  enemy  heard  that  there  w^as  a 
party  of  Waganda  with  a  European  at  their  head,  there 
w^ould  be  no  possible  chance  of  their  being  so  foolish 
as  to  attack  us.  There  being  a  certain  amount  of  truth 
in  what  they  said,  I  allowed  the  matter  to  pass,  and  my 
warriors  and  I  proceeded. 

The  second  day,  however,  we  had  a  little  alarm  ;  a 
man  met  us  with  a  letter  which  had  been  written 
by  one  of  the  European  officers  in  Bulimezi,  a  few 
days'  journey  away,  and  it  was  addressed  to  the 
officer  in  charge  at  Kampala.  In  troublous  times  like 
these  I  did  not  hesitate  to  open  it,  and  was  somewhat 
startled  at  its  contents.  It  stated  that  from  a  very  re- 
liable informant  the  writer  had  been  told  that  a  large 
force  (about  five  hundred)  of  Waganda  guns,  under 
the  leadership  of  Gabriel  the  rebel,  were  coming  from 
Ankole,  on  their  w^ay  to  Buzinde,  to  attack  the  outpost 
there.  I  knew  at  once  that  I  was  on  the  very  read  that 
they  would  in  all  probability  be  traversing  for  some  little 
distance.  I  called  together  a  few  of  the  most  reliable 
men  and  asked  their  advice  in  the  matter  ;  they  all  agreed 
that  it  was  best  to  go  forward,  the  report  might  not  be 
true.     AA'c   therefore  pressed  on  till  5  p.m.  and  then 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


2yi 


camped  in  a  tiny  village.  I  told  the  men  to  form  a  guard 
for  the  night,  but  I  fear  my  instructions  in  this  matter 
were  not  carried  out.  However,  nothing  happened  that 
night,  and  we  left  the  village  early  in  the  morning.  We 
had  not  gone  a  quarter  of  a  mile  when  we  met  some 
people  who  were  in  a  great  state  of  excitement,  and  who 
informed  us  that  a  very  large  army  of  the  rebels  had 


A  WILD  COUNTRY. 


passed  by  in  the  night,  had  burnt  their  village  and 
murdered  some  of  the  people.  All  this  had  been  done 
within  a  mile  of  where  we  were  camped.  Had  they  got 
to  know  that  we  were  so  near  there  is  little  doubt  but 
that  they  would  have  attacked  us,  and  with  their  very 
superior  force  would  have  soon  made  an  end  of  us.  A 
watchful  Providence  protected  us.  In  a  very  short  time 
we  crossed  the  track  made  by  the  army,  and  saw  the 


IN  DWARF  LA  AW. 


devastation  that  it  had  wrought.  Our  safety  now  lay  in 
pressing  forward  all  possible  speed  to  Toro. 

The  sixth  day  from  Mengo  w^e  had  a  very  long  march 
of  twenty-six  miles,  hoping  to  reach  Nakabimba  where 
there  was  a  large  garden  with  plenty  of  food.  This  latter 
we  much  needed,  our  men  having  been  unable  to  procure 
any  on  the  journey  on  account  of  the  deserted  state  of 
the  villages.  As  w^e  approached  Nakabimba  we  w^ere 
surprised  to  find  no  one  about,  and  when  we  finally  got 
up  to  the  chief's  enclosure  we  saw  that  all  that  was  left 
of  a  beautiful  village  was  blackened  ruins  on  every  hand  ; 
not  only  so,  but  the  gardens  also  had  been  destroyed. 
Part  of  Mwanga's  army  had  been  there  only  a  few  days 
before,  and  there  w^as  not  a  sign  of  food  anywhere,  except- 
ing a  few  wild  tomatoes.  To  add  to  our  discomfort  rain 
commenced  to  fall  as  soon  as  we  reached  camp.  Some  of 
the  men  wanted  to  push  forward,  but  I  was  far  too  tired 
and  so  also  were  the  porters.  I  hunted  about  in  the  rain 
to  try  and  find  something  I  could  shoot  for  the  poor 
fellows,  and  good  fortune  led  me  down  to  the  banks  of  a 
small  stream,  and  there  I  found  a  flock  of  guinea  fowl, 
and  was  able  to  bring  down  quite  a  large  number  of  these 
birds  and  distribute  them  amongst  the  men.  Still,  fifty 
hungry  fellow^s  take  a  lot  of  satisfying,  and  they  had  to 
be  content  with  a  light  repast. 

It  was  only  just  early  dawn  wdien  the  boys  awoke,  one 
declaring  that  "  hunger  w^as  hurting  them,"  and  that  we 
must  push  on.  So  on  wx  w^ent,  through  the  wild,  un- 
inhabited district  betw^een  Kakabimba  and  Mw^enge. 
About  half  way  there  we  passed  through  the  very  midst  of 
a  large  herd  of  elephants.  I  never  saw  so  many  together, 
there  were  quite  tw^o  hundred  of  them,  and  some  w^ere 
carrying  enormous  tusks.  I  did  not  attempt  to  hunt 
them,  time  was  precious,  and  they  did  not  seem  at  all 
disturbed  by  our  presence. 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


273 


The  last  day  into  Toro  was  without  adventure,  but 
full  of  interest  to  us.  We  were  met  by  hundreds 
of  the  people,  who  had  come  out  to  greet  us  and 
to  welcome  us  back  to  their  country.  Reports  had 
spread  that  I  had  been  killed,  and  our  party  broken  up, 
and  other  reports  said  that  I  had  returned  to  Europe  ; 
so  when  my  friends  the  Watoro  actually  saw  me,  their 
rejoicing  was  very  real. 

My  stay,  however,  amongst  them  was  to  be  a  short 
one.  In  August  Bishop  Tucker  and  Dr.  Cook  visited 
Toro  to  inspect  the  work,  and  after  consulting  the 
latter  concerning  my  state  of  health,  he  decided  that 
it  would  be  well  for  me  to  leave  for  Europe 
without  delay.  The  privations  and  exposures  I  had 
experienced  during  the  time  of  war  had  left  rather  more 
than  a  passing  impression  upon  my  physical  well-being.  I 
was  not  ill,  but  I  cannot  say  I  was  well.  The  slightest 
worry  upset  me  and  caused  headache.  Sometimes  for 
days  I  was  incapable  of  doing  anything  on  account  of  a 
singularly  depressed  feeling,  and  many  such  signs  dis- 
tinctly told  me  that  I  needed  rest.  It  so  happened  that 
a  Belgian  officer  visited  Toro  in  September,  1898.  He 
had  come  in  the  wake  of  the  Batatela  mutineers  with  a 
large  force  of  native  troops  to  establish  a  fort  on  the 
Belgian  frontier. 

Now  it  occurred  to  me  that  a  journey  home  ind  the 
Congo  would  be  of  great  interest  to  me,  and  of  profit  to 
the  Mission  to  which  I  belonged.  For  some  time  we  had 
been  wanting  to  start  w^ork  amongst  the  wonderful 
people,  the  Pygmies,  if  such  a  tribe  actually  existed.  We 
had  heard  much  about  them  from  the  natives,  and  vague 
reports  concerning  them  had  come  to  us  from  European 
sources,  but  we  were  still  a  little  sceptical  as  to  wdiether 
they  actually  existed  ;  and  I  judged  that  if  by  passing 
through  the  forest  I  could  settle  once  and  for  all  this 

19 


274 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


uncertainty,  and  if  they  really  c?i(i  exist,  communicate  with 
them  in  some  way  or  other,  I  should  have  done  a  certain 
amount  of  good  and  have  made  it  possible  to  proceed  to 
evangelise  them.  Add  to  this  desire  of  extending  the 
missionary  w^ork,  a  very  natural  one  for  adventure,  which 
is  inbred  in  the  breast  of  most  true  Britons,  and  one  has 
in  a  nutshell  my  reasons  for  undertaking  the  journey  that 
I  am  about  to  describe. 

I  called  upon  the  Belgian  officer  at  an  early  date 
after  his  arrival  in  Toro,  and  asked  him  for  full 
particulars  of  the  route.  He  described  the  way  he 
had  come  some  months  before,  and  declared  that  I 
should  experience  no  difficulty  whatever  in  getting 
through.  First  he  thought  a  thirty  days'  tramp  through 
the  forest  on  to  the  Aruwimi,  then  by  canoe  for  fifteen 
days  or  so  ;  reaching  the  Congo,  I  should  find  a  service  of 
steamers  running  between  Stanley  Falls  and  Leopoldville  ; 
and  have  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  passage  to  Boma ; 
where  I  should  catcli  a  Belgian  mail  boat.  The  only 
difficult  part  was  apparently  the  first  thirty  days  through 
the  forest.  I  might  discover  the  tracks  made  by  his 
caravan  overgrown,  and  it  might  be  necessary  to  cut  a 
fresh  one.  There  was  another  route  which  was  being 
constantly  traversed,  and  which  would  be  more  likely  to 
be  in  good  condition  and  easy  to  follow^  but  it  did  not 
pass  through  the  centre  of  the  forest  inhabited  by  the 
Pygmies,  and  this  is  what  I  was  most  anxious  to  do.  I 
therefore  decided  that,  even  if  I  had  to  cut  every  mile 
of  the  way,  I  would  make  the  attempt. 

Bishop  Tucker  being  in  Toro,  I  consulted  him  and 
asked  him  to  sanction  my  proposed  journey.  At  first  he 
did  not  seem  at  all  inclined  to  do  so,  thinking  the  risk  too 
great,  not  only  that  which  would  come  from  contact  with 
wild  men,  but  more  especially  that  from  malaria  ;  for  the 
Congo  has  a  very  bad  name  for  being  anything  but  a  health 


TORO  &  ARUWIMl 

DISTRICTS 
SHOWING    ROUTE  of    A  B.LLOYD 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


275 


resort,  and  certainly  the  name  could  not  be  too  bad,  for  it 
undoubtedly  merits  it. 

However,  I  heard  from  my  Belgian  friend  that  it  was 
highly  probable  that  he  himself  would  be  journeying 
homeward  to  the  West  Coast  about  the  time  that  I 
intended  going,  and  then,  when  Bishop  Tucker  was  told 
of  this  he  with  some  reluctance  gave  his  consent,  telling 
me  I  must  go  entirely  at  my  own  risk,  if  I  went  at  all. 
I  was  of  course  perfectly  willing  to  do  this — in  fact  I 
never  expected  anything  less.  It  was  therefore  finally 
decided  that  I  should  start  as  soon  as  I  was  able  to  get 
together  what  was  necessary  for  the  journey. 

I  had  first  of  all  to  settle  upon  what  should  be  taken 
with  me,  and  what  best  could  be  left  behind  ;  not  an 
easy  question  to  answer.  I  knew  nothing  of  the  country 
or  of  the  facilities  for  procuring  food — in  the  forest  at  any 
rate.  I  believed  there  were  none,  but  on  the  river  I  did 
not  know  what  to  expect.  Then  the  quantity  of  supplies. 
Could  the  number  of  days  given  me  as  likely  by  my 
Belgian  friend  be  relied  upon?  I  at  length  decided  that 
it  would  be  best  to  take  a  good  supply,  sufficient  to  last  at 
least  three  months. 

Then,  as  to  porters  !  1  again  visited  my  friend,  and 
he  soon  set  me  right  on  this  topic.  Watoro  porters,  he 
said,  were  necessary  as  far  as  Mbeni,  the  Belgian  frontier 
fort,  and  from  thence  the  people  of  Mbeni  would  carry  my 
things  through  the  forest.  This  was  perfectly  straight- 
forward. 

But  about  a  guide  through  the  forest !  Oh  yes !  even 
he  could  be  found  for  me  at  Mbeni ;  a  man  who  had  once 
passed  through  the  forest  could  be  secured  to  guide  me 
through.  In  fact,  everything  seemed  easy.  Consequently 
I  packed  up  my  things  into  as  few  loads  as  possible,  making 
each  as  light  as  I  could,  so  that  none  exceeded  50  lbs. 
in  weight. 


276 


AV  niVARF  LA  AW. 


But  another  difficulty  presented  itself,  what  about 
personal  attendants'/  A,L;ain  I  applied  to  my  friend, 
and  this  time  the  dilHculty  seemed  a  real  one.  He  could 
suggest  no  other  way  than  to  take  boys  from  Toro  as  far 
as  the  Congo.  But  where  were  the  boys  to  come  from? 
Were  there  any  who  would  be  willing  to  follow  me  into 
so  wild  a  place  ?  I  called  together  my  ten  boys  and  asked 
them  ;  the  first  to  offer,  almost  as  soon  as  I  had  asked  the 
question,  was  Mika,  but  I  told  him  no ;  he  had  married  a 
wife,  and  therefore  he  must  not  go,  his  wife  required  him. 
Then  two  other  of  my  Waganda  boys  offered,  Elisa  and 
Alberto ;  both  were  lads  of  a  fair  age,  Elisa  being  about 
seventeen  and  Alberto  fifteen,  and  were  most  capable 
servants,  and  I  was  much  attached  to  them.  Very 
readily  I  accepted  their  offer.  Another  boy,  a  native 
of  Toro,  Mufuniu,  also  offered,  and  I  gladly  agreed. 
"And  now,"  I  said  to  them,  "let  us  arrange  about 
wages."  "What!"  said  Elisa,  "are  w^e  slaves  that  you 
should  pay  us  for  helping  you  ?  We  will  have  no  wage  ; 
you  are  our  father,  we  love  you  and  trust  you ;  we  need 
nothing  but  our  clothes  to  wear ;  we  will  accompany  you 
as  friends."  I  was  very  much  touched  by  these  loving 
words.  They  meant  something  to  me,  a  missionary,  just 
leaving  the  country  where  he  has  striven  to  live  for  the 
people,  and  to  do  them  good,  is,  of  necessity,  some- 
what sad  at  parting  with  those  whom  he  has  learned 
to  love ;  and  if  he  finds  that  some  of  them,  although  they 
may  be  but  few  in  number,  at  least  some  have  learned  to 
love  him  too,  what  a  pleasure  it  is  to  him ;  none  but 
those  who  have  passed  through  it  can  realise  wdiat  it 
means.  One  could  not  help  looking  back  over  the  past 
years  and  think  of  so  many  things  one  might  have  done 
that  were  still  undone,  and  of  the  very  many  imperfections 
even  in  one's  best  efforts  and  of  the  selfish  motives  that, 
alas  !  so  often  had  prompted  those  efforts.    All  this  made 


IN  DWARF  LA XI). 


2/7 


it  hard  to  go  away,  perhaps  never  to  liave  these  oppor- 
tunities again. 

I  arranged  to  start  from  the  capital  of  Toro  on 
September  19th  ;  the  latter  rains  of  Toro  had  commenced, 
and  the  rivers  were  fast  filling  up,  and  in  a  little  while 
some  of  the  small  mountain  streams  would  be  huge 
torrents  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  ford. 

^Vhen  I  told  the  King  of  Toro  my  intention  of  going 
Westward  Ho,  he  laughed  at  me,  and  then  said,  "You 
must  not  think  of  going."  "  Why  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Simply 
because  the  Pygmies  will  kill  you ;  or  if  you  escape  them 
the  cannibals  will  eat  you."  But  when  I  told  him  that  I 
had  made  up  my  mind  most  thoroughly  to  go,  in  spite  of 
all,  he  simply  said,  "  Ofude  "  ("  You  are  dead  "). 

The  day  before  I  arranged  to  start  news  came  in  from 
Mengo  to  the  effect  that  Gabriel  had  been  to  Bulimezi, 
and  was  returning  to  Ankole,  and  the  captain  at  the  fort 
immediately  gave  orders  to  the  King  to  collect  an  army  to 
go  out  and  intercept  his  escape  into  Ankole.  The  19th 
of  September  therefore  was  a  day  of  greatest  excitement 
amongst  the  Watoro.  On  the  one  hand  all  was  rush  and 
bustle  to  get  ready  for  the  anticipated  fight  with  Gabriel, 
and  on  the  other  the  bidding  goodbye  to  their  teacher. 

Many  most  embarrassing  farewells  were  taken  of  me, 
and  some  were  most  pathetic.  One  incident  in  this  con- 
nection impressed  me  much.  A  little  princess,  about 
twelve  years  old  who  had  been  rescued  from  slavery  by 
my  colleague,  Mr.  Fisher,  when  in  Unyoro,  and  had  been 
brought  to  Toro,  where  we  had  taught  her  to  read  and 
write,  came  to  me  crying  most  bitterly  to  bid  me  goodbye. 
She  stood  before  me  a  moment,  and  then  drew  off  a  little 
native-made  bracelet  from  her  wrist,  and  sobbingly 
handed  it  to  me  and  said,  "  Take  this  bracelet,  and  when 
you  look  at  it  you  will  think  of  me,  and  when  you  think 
of  me  you  will  think  of  all  my  people,  and  you  will  long 


2;8 


IN  DWARF  LAXD. 


to  come  back  to  us  again."  I  think  this  Httle  bracelet  wiU 
always  have  an  influence  upon  me,  and  if  for  no  other 
reason  than  that  I  fancy  I  should  be  obliged  to  return. 

At  last  the  goodbyes  were  over,  and  my  porters  were 
impatient  to  start ;  the  escort  that  had  come  with  me  from 
Uganda  had  of  course  returned,  and  on  this  journey  I 
was  to  have  no  escort  at  all.  I  did  not  think  it  would  be 
necessary,  chiefly  because  the  escort  itself  would  in  all 
probability  cause  trouble.  Untrained  natives  wath  guns 
are  most  dangerous  beings,  and  one  is  much  safer  wdthout 
them.  When  a  black  man  has  a  gun  in  his  hand — 
especially  if  it  be  for  the  first  time — he  becomes  at  once 
the  vainest  creature  on  God's  earth,  and  he  has  such  an 
inordinate  opinion  of  himself  that  if  he  wants  food,  he 
expects  the  heathen — as  he  will  promptly  call  his  fellows — 
to  supply  him.  I  also  believed  that  by  wise  and  judicious 
treatment  of  the  natives  of  the  forest,  and  of  the  river 
districts,  I  should  be  able  to  gain  their  confidence  and 
escape  the  difficulties  arising  from  the  fact  of  having  w^ith 
me  a  large  party  of  men,  all  dependent  upon  me  for  food. 

As  I  have  said,  the  porters  that  I  took  to  the  frontier 
fort  of  the  Belgians  w^ould  return  from  thence,  and  then 
the  rest  of  the  journey  I  should  be  practically  without  a 
following,  excepting  for  my  two  faithful  Waganda  boys 
and  the  one  Watoro  lad.  I  should  rely  upon  procuring 
porters  from  village  to  village,  changing  them  at  every 
place.  This  I  know  was  rather  a  doubtful  policy,  as 
upon  the  event  of  any  chief  refusing  to  give  me  porters 
I  should  be  stranded,  and  this  might  occur  in  the  forest, 
where  to  wait  w^ould  mean  slow  death  by  starvation. 
How'cver,  there  w^as  no  help  for  it,  as  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  get  the  Watoro  porters  to  proceed  the  w^hole 
distance  with  me,  and  even  if  they  w^ere  willing  their 
return  journey  would  be  a  serious  difliculty. 

And  now,  with  bicycle  and  donkey,  both  w^ell  groomed 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


279 


and  ready,  and  nineteen  stalwart  Watoro  porters,  each 
man  with  his  50  lb.  load,  and  with  a  party  of  my  faithful 
boys  to  accompany  me  as  far  as  the  frontier,  and  my  little 
dog  Sally  at  my  heels,  we  left  the  fair  capital  of  Toro, 
with  all  its  memories  of  sacred  scenes  and  of  adventurous 
life,  and  faced  about  to  the  south-west.  Our  first  task 
was  to  get  round  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon.  There  were 
three  distinct  tracks — the  one  crossing  the  mountains  to 
the  north,  the  second  passing  right  through  the  range, 
and  the  third  to  the  south  of  the  mountains,  between 
them  and  the  Albert  Edward  Lake.  I  chose  the  latter, 
as  being  the  easiest,  from  the  porters'  point  of  view,  as 
both  of  the  other  routes  were  difficult,  on  account  of  the 
steepness  of  the  mountain  paths,  while  the  road  to  the 
south  merely  skirted  the  base  of  the  mountain  range, 
and  there  was  a  good  cultivated  road  as  far  as  Fort 
George  on  the  lake  shore. 

For  a  long  distance  the  first  day  our  j^ath,  as  usual,  led 
through  the  huge  tiger  grass,  wdiich  literally  formed  a 
barrier  15  feet  high  on  either  side  of  us,  and  entirely  shut 
out  any  view,  excepting  when  we  reached  the  top  of 
some  lofty  hill.  The  path  ran  along  the  eastern  ridge 
of  the  mountains,  and  was,  therefore,  through  countr}^ 
of  an  undulating  nature,  and  the  porters  soon  got  tired  of 
going  up  and  down  the  sides  of  the  valleys,  and  of  cross- 
ing swamps  and  rivers  at  the  bottom  of  each.  We 
pitched  our  camp  about  three  hours  after  the  start  in  a 
very  pretty  spot  overlooking  a  beautiful  valley.  As  I  sat 
in  my  tent,  I  could  see  the  elephants  sporting  about  in 
the  swampy  ground  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  and  could 
hear  quite  distinctly  their  childish  trumpetings  as  they 
enjoyed  themselves  in  the  water. 

In  the  evening  I  was  sitting  in  my  tent  writing  my 
diary  and  weaving  plans  for  the  future,  and  for  the 
journey  that  lay  before  me,  when  suddenly,  without  the 


28o 


LV  DWARF  LAXD. 


slightest  wariiiiio-,  a  violent  earthquake  took  place. 
Everythiii'^-  in  niy  tent  hegan  to  jump  ahout,  and  it 
was  most  difficult  to  keep  oneself  perpendicular.  The 
porters  were  alarmed,  and  declared  the  earth  would  crack 
and  swallow  us  up ;  some  of  them  even  went  so  far  as  to 
roll  up  all  their  earthly  possessions  into  their  sleeping- 
mats  and  make  off,  to  try,  I  suppose,  to  reach  a  spot 
where  the  earth  was  steady.    Although  it  only  lasted  a 


EARTHQUAKE  CAMP. 


few  moments,  it  was,  for  all  that,  most  alarming,  and  we 
were  glad  when  it  had  passed. 

Some  very  curious  ideas  existed  amongst  the  natives, 
I  found,  as  to  the  cause  of  the  motion.  Some,  indeed  the 
majority,  declare  it  to  be  an  evil  spirit  trying  to  break 
loose  from  a  cavity  in  the  earth ;  others  said  it  was  the 
angry  spirit  of  the  great  mountain,  and  that  it  brooded 
evil  for  the  country,  and  many  other  strange  ideas  one 
heard  of.  A  return  of  the  shock  came  later  on  in  the 
night  when  all  were  asleep,  and  it  was  quite  as  violent  as 
the  first,  but  most  of  the  men  were  too  soundly  sleeping 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


281 


to  be  aware  of  it,  and  only  a  few  of  the  more  wakeful  ones 
felt  it.  I  had  experienced  many  earthquake  shocks  since 
going  to  Toro,  but  none  had  ever  been  of  such  violence 
as  this  one. 

The  following  day  I  came  in  closer  contact  with  the 
elephant  herd  that  I  had  seen.  There  were  about  twenty 
in  all,  and  it  w^as  a  very  fine  sight  ;  some  had  huge  tusks 
and  w^ere  but  little  concerned  by  our  approach,  and  one 
might  judge  from  their  behaviour  that  they  w^ere  not 
quite  sure  what  we  w^ere,  and  whether  we  were  harmless 
or  otherwise.  I  walked  quite  close  up  to  them  to  get 
a  better  view,  but  had  no  intention  of  firing  on  them. 
At  first  they  did  not  seem  to  mind  a  bit,  until  one  big 
fellow  became  a  little  uneasy  about  my  presence  and 
proceeded  towards  me ;  I  then  thought  it  was  time  to 
show  him  that  although  harmless  while  he  left  us  alone, 
w^e  might  be  just  the  opposite  if  he  did  not,  and  I  am 
sure  he  thought  so  when  he  got  a  Martini  bullet  into  his 
ribs.  He  fell  over  and  kicked  about  a  little,  and  then 
suddenly  remembered  an  engagement  he  had  elsewhere 
and  went  off  with  the  rest  at  a  trot.  Elephants  are 
usually  very  harmless  excepting  when  interfered  with. 

Our  next  camp  was  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful 
Ewimi  river,  a  little  stream  that  comes  down  from 
the  snows  and  broadens  out  into  a  very  powerful  river. 
As  I  stood  on  its  banks  gazing  up  at  the  immense  sides 
of  old  Ruwenzori,  with  the  clouds  that  seem  for  ever 
to  be  hovering  about  the  crest,  the  sparkling  snowy  peaks 
towering  aw^ay  into  the  blue  sky  were  gloriously  visible  ; 
it  was  a  magnificent  sight.    I  have  never  seen  a  better. 

My  dear  old  donkey  "  Lady  "  came  into  my  tent  in  the 
evening,  poking  her  nose  all  over  the  table,  and  gave  me 
most  loving  caresses.  I  could  not  understand  this  spon- 
taneous demonstration  of  affection  at  the  time,  but  I  did 
so  the  next  morning  when  I  got  up  and  found  that  she 


282 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


had  made  off  back  to  Toro.  Two  of  the  boys  went  after 
her,  but  did  not  catch  her  up  until  they  were  almost 
within  sight  of  the  capitaL  In  the  meantime  we  had 
come  to  a  river  the  current  of  which  was  very  strong  and 
the  water  deep.  One  after  another  of  the  boys  made 
attempts  to  cross  and  failed,  and  then  my  little  dog  Sally 
thought  she  would  try,  and  this  attempt  nearly  cost  her 
her  life,  for  the  current  simply  tossed  the  poor  little 
creature  about  like  a  cork,  dashing  her  against  the  great 
boulders  and  rushing  off  with  her  faster  than  we  could 


IIWIMI  RIVER. 


run.  However,  to  my  great  delight,  in  about  twenty 
minutes  she  came  pushing  her  way  back  through  the 
long  grass  and  making  the  best  of  a  bad  job  by  coming 
to  her  much-distressed  master.  Several  of  the  porters, 
who,  being  Watoro,  were  more  accustomed  to  rivers, 
next  made  attempts  to  cross,  and  one  after  the  other 
succeeded,  and  then  helped  over  the  boys,  and  I  finally 
got  across  after  the  donkey  had  been  captured  again, 
riding  upon  her  back.  In  another  hour  we  came  to  an 
equally  strong  river,  and  poor  old  Sally,  thinking  that  this 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


283 


time  she  would  have  better  luck,  siuiply  took  a  "  header  " 
before  any  one  could  stop  her,  and  of  course  with  the 
same  result  as  before.  We  waited  and  waited,  but  no 
Sally  came,  and  I  then  went  sadly  along  the  bank 
searching  for  the  least  sign  of  my  poor  little  companion. 
After  walking  for  some  distance  I  got  into  the  water  and 
waded  about  expecting  to  find  her  dead  body,  and  I 
began  to  feel  very  much  like  a  little  boy  whose  mother 
has  taken  his  marbles  away ;  when  suddenly  I  heard 
some  one  calling  me  from  the  bank,  and  turning  round 
to  see  wdio  it  was,  there  stood  one  of  my  boys  with 
the  best  of  all  doggies  by  his  side.  She  was  looking 
at  me  in  such  a  cheeky  w^ay,  as  much  as  to  say,  Well, 
you  must  think  I'm  a  poor  case  if  you  have  the  notion 
that  such  a  paltry  thing  as  that  river  can  make  an  end 
of  me  after  all  I've  passed  through."  She  had  climbed  up 
the  bank  some  fifty  yards  farther  up  the  river,  and  had 
come  with  my  boys  to  look  for  me.  It  is  a  strange  fact 
that  a  dog  can  be  so  companionable,  but  that  little 
creature  had  become  to  me  a  friend  that  seemed  indis- 
pensable, and  my  joy  at  thus  seeing  her  alive  when  I 
thought  her  dead  can  better  be  imagined  than  described  ; 
and  I  promptly  gave  her  half  my  lunch.* 

Another  three  hours  brought  us  to  camp,  a  most 
charming  place,  the  country  all  around  covered  with 
game,  and  the  grass,  instead  of  being  long,  was  short 
and  soft.  The  plain  was  studded  with  low  trees  and 
bushes,  making  excellent  cover  for  shooting.  Just  as 
we  had  reached  camp  I  noticed  at  a  short  distance  from 
us  another  large  herd  of  elephants.  I  counted  twenty- 
six  in  all.  After  a  cap  of  tea  I  went  oft'  after  them  and 
had  a  most  exciting  time.    We  first  came  up  with  two, 

*  It  may  be  added  here  that,  in  spite  of  many  narrow  escapes,  Sally 
finally  accomplished  the  journey  with  me,  reaching  the  west  coast  in  per- 
fect condition  ;  but,  alas  !  only  to  meet  with  an  ignominious  death  in  the 
jaws  of  a  Congo  crocodile  at  Boma. 


284 


LV  nUWRF  LAND. 


one  a  veritable  monster,  I  never  saw  his  equal,  but  he 
had  evidently  seen  mine,  and  before  I  had  a  chance  to 
fire  he  turned  tail  and  bolted  as  hard  as  he  could.  We 
went  on  a  little  further  into  a  valley  where  the  grass  was 
much  longer,  and  quite  suddenly  came  up  wdth  about  a 
dozen,  all  standing  together  with  trunks  in  the  air ;  one 
very  large  one  which  was  nearest  to  me,  only  fifteen 
yards  off,  was  evidently  thinking  of  other  things,  and 
little  expected  the  sudden  end  that  awaited  him,  for  after 
a  careful  aim  I  fired,  hitting  him  between  eye  and  ear, 
and  down  he  fell  like  the  side  of  a  house.  I  had  used  my 
Martini,  and  the  bullet  passed  right  into  the  brain. 

But  while  we  stood  there  a  strange  thing  happened. 
From  out  of  the  long  grass  just  to  my  left  a  female 
elephant  dashed,  and  came  straight  for  me,  and  I  being 
occupied  with  the  other  did  not  see  it  at  all,  and  but  for 
my  boy  it  would  have  been  upon  me  before  I  knew  of 
its  existence.  He  seeing  it  coming,  and  having  an  old 
Snider  rifle,  fired  at  it,  and  although  he  did  not  hit  it 
the  report  frightened  it ;  but  it  did  not  turn  till  it  was 
w^ithin  five  yards  of  us.  As  I  have  said,  I  was  fully 
occupied  with  the  other.  When  the  one  I  shot  fell,  a  big 
female  elephant  walked  leisurely  up  to  it,  looked  at  it,  and 
then  put  its  trunk  round  it  and  lifted  it  up,  and  at  the 
same  moment  another  of  the  herd  came  the  opposite  side, 
and  between  the  two  they  dragged  it  off  a  few  hundred 
yards,  and  then  apparently  finding  out  that  it  was  dead, 
simply  left  it,  and  wath  terrific  trumpeting  made  off  after 
the  rest  of  the  herd.  Had  I  not  seen  this  w4th  my  own 
eyes  I  should  most  certainly  have  doubted  the  possibility 
of  such  sagacity,  but  the  whole  scene  was  enacted  before 
me,  not  twenty  yards  away.  We  were  very  tired  and 
left  the  elephant  where  it  lay  and  returned  to  camp, 
arranging  with  a  native  chief  who  was  close  at  hand  to 
take  care  of  the  ivory  for  us  and  send  it  into  Toro. 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


285 


Those  who  wanted  elephant  steak  helped  themselves, 
for  there  was  plenty  for  all,  and  none  need  have  been 
without  a  substantial  supper. 

Another  snake  story  may  be  interesting.  After  the 
encounter  with  the  elephants  we  were  walking  along  by 
the  side  of  a  river  when,  without  a  moment's  notice,  a 
huge  snake  seemed  to  leap  out  of  the  grass,  knocking 
over  my  boy  Alberto  into  the  river,  and  the  snake  itself 
disappeared  into  the  water.  The  whole  thing  was  so 
sudden,  I  hardly  realised  what  had  happened.  For- 
tunately the  boy  was  not  bitten,  although  badly 
drenched,  but  it  w^as  a  narrow  escape  both  for  him 
and  myself,  as  he  was  only  two  yards  behind  me,  and 
it  leapt  out  immediately  I  passed. 

That  night  the  hyaenas  had  a  great  holiday  over  the 
carcase  of  the  elephant,  and  their  angry  yelps  as  they 
fought  each  other  over  their  feast  were  most  distinctly 
audible  in  our  camp. 

On  the  following  day  we  camped  in  a  village  called 
Mwoikya,  amongst  an  entirely  different  race  of  people 
called  the  Wakonjo,  the  mountain  tribe.  They  are  a 
very  harmless  kind  of  folk  who  live  at  peace  with  all 
men.  These  people  have  few  ambitions — a  hut  in  which 
to  sleep  and  plenty  of  food  to  eat,  and  they  are  quite  satis- 
fied. They  despise  clothing,  and  prefer  to  remain  in 
Nature's  own  garb.  Some  of  their  villages  reach  an  alti- 
tude of  about  10,000  feet  above  sea-level,  and  only  a  fev^ 
thousand  feet  from  the  eternal  snows.  The  cold  at  that 
height  is  intense,  but  these  hardy  mountain  people  seem 
not  to  notice  it,  as  for  hours  after  sunset  they  sit  outside 
their  huts  before  large  fires  smoking  their  rank  tobacco 
and  drinking  their  "  maruwa."  The  chief  of  the  village 
was  not  a  very  nice  man,  and  seemed  to  have  an  immense 
opinion  of  himself  and  of  his  elevated  position  as  chief 
over  about  one  hundred  people.    However,  he  brought  us 


286 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


food  enough,  and  we  had  all  we  needed.  At  this  place 
I  found  tw^o  soldiers  waiting  for  me  ;  they  had  been  sent 
by  my  friend  the  I^elgian  officer.  They  had  a  letter  for 
me  in  which  he  told  me  that  he  did  not  now  expect 
to  journey  w4th  me  on  account  of  fresh  orders  he  had 
received  from  his  Government.  I  w^as  thus  deprived  of 
the  European's  company  that  I  had  counted  upon  during 


WAKONJO  VILLAGE. 


my  difficult  journey.  Still  I  determined  that  this  would 
not  in  any  way  deter  me. 

The  next  camping-place  was  Kikorongo  by  the  side  of 
a  small  lake.  Early  in  the  day  I  shot  two  fine  antelope 
and  rejoiced  the  hearts  of  men  and  boys,  who  immedi- 
ately upon  their  arrival  in  camp  lit  a  fire,  and,  sitting 
round  it,  each  one  with  a  lump  of  meat  stuck  on  to 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


287 


a  stick  roasted  it  before  the  fire,  chattering  away  the 
whole  time  hke  a  troop  of  monkeys,  as  happy  as  possible. 
In  the  little  lake  was  a  quantity  of  hippopotami,  large 
and  small.  In  the  afternoon  I  sat  by  the  shore  and 
watched  these  curious  creatures  sport  about  in  the 
shallow  water.  They  did  not  seem  at  all  afraid  of  me, 
and  some  came  right  out  of  the  deeper  water  to  look  at 
so  extraordinary  a  creature  as  I  must  have  appeared  to 
them.  In  the  evening  one  of  my  boys  went  to  the  lake 
for  a  bathe,  and  while  he  w^as  in  the  middle  of  his  wash 
a  huge  hippo  came  floundering  after  him.  To  see  the 
little  fellow  run  was  a  sight  indeed ;  he  yelled  and  yelled, 
and  did  not  stop  running  until  he  got  safely  amongst  his 
companions  in  camp.  Of  course  the  hippo  had  long  since 
given  up  the  chase  and  returned  to  the  water,  apparently 
well  satisfied  that  it  had  done  its  duty  in  driving  off  the 
intruder. 

On  September  24th  we  reached  Katwe.  This  is  the 
last  British  station  of  the  Uganda  Protectorate  to  the 
west.  We  arrived  rather  late  in  the  day,  as  it  had  been 
very  hot,  and  a  long  march  wdth  no  water  all  the  way 
after  leaving  the  lake.  I  was  most  kindly  welcomed  by 
the  Soudanese  wlio  were  posted  there,  about  fifteen  all 
told;  they  soon  procured  me  plenty  of  food,  and  I  was 
allowed  to  sleep  in  the  officer's  house  in  the  fort,  which  was 
a  pleasant  change  after  tent  life.  Fort  George  is  situated 
at  the  top  of  a  cliff  overlooking  the  Albert  Lake  to  the 
south  ;  to  the  north  is  the  famous  Salt  Lake,  which 
looked  to  ine  like  a  large  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano. 
The  fort  walls  were  built  of  mud  and  stones,  and  were  of 
a  very  substantial  thickness,  and  one  could  see  at  once 
how  it  was  possible  for  the  small  force  of  Soudanese  in 
command  to  make  so  singular  a  resistance  to  the  five 
hundred  rebels  of  the  Batatela  in  March,  1897.  These 
Soudanese  belonged   to  No.  10  Company,  which  had 


288 


LY  DWARF  LAXD, 


remained  perfectly  loyal  during  the  whole  rebellion, 
under  Captain  (now  Major)  Sitwxll  of  Toro.  When  there 
was  disaffection  and  rebellion  among  the  others,  this 
companj^  only,  remained  loyal  to  the  British.  This  was 
due  to  three  causes  :  First  and  foremost,  to  the  most 
excellent  treatment  the}'  received  at  the  hands  of  their 
European  officer,  whom  they  loved  and  respected  and 
in  whom  they  had  implicit  confidence ;  secondly,  to  the 
faithfulness  of  their  native  officer,  Rahan  Effendi ;  and 


SALT  LAKE. 


thirdly,  to  their  ignorance  of  the  movements  of  the 
rebels  occasioned  by  the  great  distance  between  them 
and  the  seat  of  the  rebellion.  Whether  these  be  the 
real  reasons  or  no,  suffice  it  to  say  that,  instead  of  dis- 
playing any  signs  of  mutniy,  they  actually  caught 
three  Mohammedans  who  had  brought  letters  from 
their  Soudanese  friends  in  Uganda,  urging  them  to 
rebel,  and  handed  them  over  to  their  commanding 
officer.  He  sentenced  them  to  death,  and  a  section 
of  the  Soudanese  themselves  performed  the  execution. 
In  addition  to  this  they  built  a  large  bridge  over  one 


LV  DIVARF  LAXD. 


289 


of  the  Toro  rivers,  just  to  prove  their  wihingness  to  obey 
their  commander ;  and  also  had  several  most  successful 
engagements  with  Mwanga's  army  in  Budu  and  else- 
where. It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  company  was  suitably 
rewarded  for  its  loyalty  when  there  was  so  much  mduce- 
ment  for  them  to  rebel. 


20 


CHAPTEK  XV 


KATWE  TO  KILONCtA-LONGA.      THE  GREAT  PYGMY  FOREST 

The  boundary  river — Lions — Meeting"  with  the  Belgian  officer — We  have 
a  little  hunt — Sporting  yarns — Frontier  settlement — Women  slaves 
— Abundance  of  game— Traces  of  INIr.  H.  :M.  Stanley — Crossing  the 
Semliki — Fort  ^Ibeni — Preparing  for  the  plunge — The  forest — Its 
extent — Pygmy  area — Vegetation  —  Clearings  —  Animal  life  —  Rivers 
— Birds — Insects — Darkness — An  Arab  settlement —Cutting  our  way 
— -Sakarumbi — Our  camp  in  the  forest — Elephants — Wading  through 
rivers — Red  ants — Adventure  with  a  snake — "A  man-monkey!" — 
Visit  from  the  Pyguiies — Friendly  intercourse — Mode  of  life — A 
Pygmy  hunt — An  attempt  at  photography — An  Arab  chief — Tippu- 
Tib — Kilonga-Longa. 

ON  the  t25th  of  September  I  crossed  the  boundary  river 
Nyamagasani,  into  the  Congo  Free  State,  and  pitched 
our  camp  on  its  banks.  We  had  scarcely  done  so  when 
sOnie  people  came  to  us  and  said  that  there  were  a  number 
of  lions  in  the  neighbourhood,  would  we  go  and  hunt 
them '?  I  declined  with  thanks  ;  my  experiences  at  lion 
hunts  had  not  been  of  the  most  charming  character,  and 
never  once  have  I  really  got  a  clear  shot  at  one  of  these 
animals  ;  I  have  hunted  them  times  without  number,  but, 
usually  speaking,  they  keep  out  of  the  way.  Perhaps  the 
nature  of  the  country  in  which  I  had  hunted  made  it  more 
difficult  to  come  up  with  them,  the  grass  being  long  and 
rank,  and  capable  of  hiding  an  elephant  a  few  yards  away, 
much  more  so  a  lion  ;  so  I  did  not  accept  the  invitation 
to  hunt.    The  boys  built  little  huts  around  my  tent,  so  as 

290 


/X  DJVARF  LAXD. 


291 


to  ])e  close  at  hand  should  any  of  these  creatures  attempt 
to  harm  us,  and  large  fires  were  lit  at  dusk.  As  we  sat 
around  them  just  before  turning  in,  suddenly  rolling  out 
like  thunder  through  the  silence  came  the  deep  roar  of  a 
lion,  apparently  not  more  than  two  hundred  yards  away. 
We  all  sat  with  mouths  open,  listening  and  expecting  every 
moment  to  see  one  or  another  of  the  party  carried  off.  I 
kept  my  gun  loaded  and  close  at  hand,  and  ordered  the 
fires  to  be  kept  up  all  round  the  camp  and  a  watch  to  be 
set.     How  many  of  these  precautions  were  observed  I 


THE  AXGLO-BELGIAX  FRONTIER. 


cannot  say,  for  I  was  too  sleepy  to  keep  awake.  But 
fortunately  all  was  well  when  morning  dawned. 

The  following  day  we  met  a  Belgian  officer  with  about 
forty  soldiers.  When  they  saw  me  coming  the  soldiers 
lined  up  on  either  side  of  the  path,  and  when  I  was 
about  fifty  yards  away  the  bugles  sounded,  and  the 
troops  all  saluted.  Xot  being  by  an}^  means  a  French 
scholar  myself,  and  the  Belgian  being  quite  ignorant 
of  Enghsh,  we  had  to  resort  to  the  black  man's  lan- 
guage and  engage  in  conversation  in  Kiswahili,  of  which 


292 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


we  both  knew  a  little.  I  first  told  him  my  business, 
where  I  was  going,  &c.,  and  he  explained  that  he  had 
come  to  take  the  place  of  the  officer  whom  I  had  met 
in  Toro  and  was  then  at  Mbeni,  the  frontier  fort  of  the 
Congo  Free  State.  We  had  lunch  together,  and  then 
as  we  were  nearing  the  great  forest,  where  there  was  a 
doubt  about  getting  any  food,  I  decided  to  spend  a  little 
time  shooting  on  the  plains,  to  collect  a  good  quantity  of 
antelope  flesh  w^hich  w^e  could  dry  into  "  biltong,"  and 
which  w^ould  last  us  many  days.  My  friend  the  Belgian 
officer  also  said  that  he  would  accompany  me,  and  help 
me  to  secure  a  good  supply. 

We  started  off  together  on  to  the  grassy  plains  which 
lie  to  the  west  of  the  Albert  Edward  Lake,  and  which 
abound  with  reed-buck,  water-buck,  and  cobus  cob.  On 
the  way  my  friend  was  spinning  some  great  sporting 
yarns,  saying  how  he  often  went  out  in  the  afternoon  and 
came  back  with  a  bag  of  twenty  antelope  to  his  account 
and  occasionally  an  elephant  or  two.  Presently  he  saw  a 
small  antelope,  and  immediately  blazed  away,  one,  two, 
three  shots,  and  still  the  little  creature  went  happily  on 
its  way.  He  remarked  that  he  had  not  got  his  hand  in  yet, 
and  I  certainly  thought  so  too.  Another  antelope  appeared, 
this  time  a  full  grown  reed-buck,  and  he  asked  me  to  take 
the  shot  and  I  did  so,  and  brought  the  buck  to  earth  at  150 
yards.  My  friend  began  to  look  a  little  uneasy,  but  still 
went  on  with  his  sporting  tales.  A  little  further  on 
another  was  seen — bang,  bang,  bang,  went  my  little 
friend's  gun,  and  this  time  the  antelope  did  not  think  it 
worth  its  while  to  move  away,  but  stood  and  stared  at 
the  mighty  Nimrod.  Again  the  bullets  began  to  fly  about, 
and  still  with  no  result.  I  then  thought  it  time  to  leave 
my  friend  to  it,  thinking  that  perhaps  my  presence  made 
him  nervous.  So  I  went  off  after  a  large  cobus  cob  that 
I  saw^  in  the  distance,  and  was  again  successful.    In  the 


FN  DWARF  LAND. 


293 


meantime  my  friend  had  been  "  getting  his  hand  in,"  but, 
as  I  found  out  afterwards,  all  his  efforts  had  been  in  vain, 
and  my  two  shots  were  the  only  effective  ones  that  after- 
noon. Poor  man,  he  seemed  quite  crestfallen,  and  abso- 
lutely refused  to  tell  me  any  more  of  his  little  tales. 

The  next  day  we  parted  company,  and  I  pressed  on  to 
Karimi,  a  small  Belgian  settlement  which  had  been 
deserted  after  the  Batatela  rebellion,  but  was  then  in 
charge  of  a  native  officer.  The  house,  once  occupied  by 
the  Europeans,  was  in  good  condition,  and  in  this  I  spent 


KARIMI. 


the  night.  Several  presents  were  brought  to  me  of  sheep, 
potatoes,  honey,  salt,  &c.,  and  I  was  kindly  received. 

In  the  afternoon  I  was  walking  through  the  potato  fields 
when  I  came  upon  sixty  or  a  hundred  women,  all  with  hoes, 
cultivating  the  ground,  and  close  at  hand  was  a  native 
soldier,  with  a  rifle  across  his  shoulder,  acting  as  guard. 
I  inquired  wdiere  all  these  poor  creatures  had  come  from, 
and  I  was  told  a  sad,  sad  story — alas  !  not  an  uncommon 
one  in  the  Belgian  Free  State.  A  Wakonjo  chief  had 
been  told  to  do  some  work  for  the  Belgians,  and  when 


294 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


he  refused  soldiers  were  sent,  and  upon  the  least  resis- 
tance the  men  were  shot  down,  and  the  women  captured 
as  slaves  and  made  to  work.  It  was  a  sad  sight  to  behold 
these  poor  creatures,  driven  like  dogs  here  and  there, 
and  kept  hard  at  their  toil  from  morning  till  night.  One 
of  the  Belgian  soldiers  told  me  that  there  had  been  many 
killed,  including  the  chief,  and  when  I  said  what  a 
terrible  thing  it  was,  he  merely  laughed  and  said, 
"  Washenzi  Btvana"  ("They  are  only  heathen'').  This 
is  the  usual  way ;  because  the  poor  wretches  are  low  and 
degraded,  it  does  not  matter  how  they  are  treated  !  My 
faithful  old  Mika,  who  was  still  with  me,  when  he  saw 
these  poor  slaves  came  and  said,  "  Why  don't  you  tell 
these  men  to  liberate  the  slaves,  and  let  these  poor  women 
go  back  to  their  little  ones  '?  "  I  pointed  out  to  him  how 
helpless  I  was  ;  that  if  the  European  in  charge  of  this 
district  commanded  this,  how  could  I  interfere  ?  But  it 
made  me  sick  at  heart. 

Leaving  this  settlement  in  the  morning,  we  again 
crossed  a  large  plain,  upon  which  I  shot  some  antelope 
for  food.  Upon  the  very  spot  where  we  camped  that  day 
were  the  remains  of  a  very  big  camp,  and  the  natives  told 
us  that  a  long  time  ago  a  number  of  Europeans,  with 
a  lot  of  soldiers,  camped  at  this  place.  In  all  probability 
it  would  be  one  of  Mr.  H.  M.  Stanley's  old  camps  when 
on  his  way  across  the  Dark  Continent. 

At  daybreak  the  next  morning  we  crossed  the  Sem- 
liki  river ;  at  this  point  it  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide,  and  a  swift-flowing  current.  A  small  dug-out 
canoe  was  found  near  this  spot,  and  into  this  we  got,  a 
few^  at  a  time,  and  made  our  way  across.  The  boxes 
were  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  to  help  keep  it 
steady,  but  in  the  rushing  stream  it  was  difficult  to  kept 
it  afloat.  All  safely  landed,  and  we  next  sent  for  the 
donkey.    A  strap  was  fastened  to  her  neck  and  she  was 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


295 


thus  led  into  the  water,  and  fohowing  the  canoe  swam 
across  in  fine  st34e. 

I  arrived  at  Mbeni  on  the  i^Oth  of  Septenil:)er,  and  was 
particularly  pleased  with  the  excellence  of  the  fort,  and 
of  the  buildings  in  connection  with  it.  My  friend,  whose 
acquaintance  I  had  made  in  Toro,  greeted  me  most 
heartily,  and  at  once  extended  to  me  the  best  hospitality 
of  the  place.    He  expressed  very  great  sorrow  at  being 


THE  fp:rry. 


unable  to  journey  with  me  to  the  coast,  and  asked  me  if  I 
would  wait  for  him,  as  in  a  month's  time  he  would  be  able 
to  go.  But  as  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  go  on  in  spite 
of  being  the  only  European  in  the  party,  I  told  him  of  ni}^ 
intention,  and  he  assured  me  there  was  no  danger  of  any 
kind,  but  if  I  liked  he  might  be  able  to  send  with  me 
an  escort  of  soldiers,  who  would  protect  me  in  the  forest 
and  save  me  from  the  hands  of  an}'  who  might  try  to 
harm  me.    This  kind  offer  I  preferred  to  refuse,  and 


296 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


explained  to  him  that  I  was  a  civilian,  and  quite 
accustomed  to  going  about  without  an  escort ;  and  would 
rather  do  so  on  this  particular  occasion.  He  seemed 
surprised,  but  no  doubt  felt  himself  that  an  escort  was 
not  absolutely  necessary, 

I  now  began  to  make  my  final  preparations  for  the 
plunge  into  the  forest.  There  on  the  horizon  was  the 
thick,  black  line  which  I  was  told  was  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Pygmy  forest,  and  after  half  an  hour's 
walk  we  should  enter  its  dark  shades.  My  first  occupa- 
tion was  to  arrange  all  my  loads  in  such  a  way  as  to 
make  it  possible  for  them  to  be  carried  with  the  greatest 
ease.  All  the  large,  bulky  boxes  I  abandoned  and  chose 
small,  narrow  ones,  that  would  be  less  difficult  to  manipu- 
late in  the  forest,  and  I  also  reduced  the  weight  of  some 
of  them  to  about  40  lbs.,  and  a  great  many  I  did  away 
with  entirely.  Each  porter  had  to  carry  three  days' 
rations  of  food  in  addition  to  his  load,  so  it  was  neces- 
sary to  have  it  as  small  as  possible.  I  next  procured 
from  my  good  friends  the  Belgian  officers  three  loads  of 
rice,  six  sheep,  twenty  fowls,  flour,  cloth,  and  a  few 
things  for  trade  purposes.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  real 
disinterested  kindness  showm  to  me  by  the  officers.  Any- 
thing that  I  wanted  they  most  willingly  gave  me,  includ- 
ing European  provisions,  such  as  biscuits,  tinned  meats, 
and  vegetables,  things  that,  as  a  rule,  a  European  in 
Africa  can  ill  afford  to  give  away. 

At  this  place  I  parted  with  my  boys,  excepting  those  I 
have  already  mentioned  who  were  to  accompany  me  to 
the  Congo.  These  boys  had  been  with  me  as  my  constant 
companions  through  my  wanderings  in  Uganda  and  Toro. 
I  had  become  much  attached  to  them,  and  I  naturally  did 
not  like  bidding  them  farewell.  They  also  had  a  long 
journey  before  them,  for  they  were  to  return  at  once  to 
Uganda  along  the  same  route  that  we  had  come.  Before 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


297 


leaving  Uganda  in  July,  I  had  made  an  arrangement  with 
one  of  the  big  chiefs  to  give  me  one  of  his  numerous 
gardens,  upon  which  my  boys  might  hve  when  I  had  left 
the  country ;  and  this  he  had  most  willingly  done,  so  that 
the  boys  might  have  a  home  to  go  to  as  soon  as  they  left 
me.  Mika,  being  a  married  man,  was  to  be  in  charge 
of  the  garden  and  was  expected  to  look  after  the  others. 
I  had  left  with  him  a  number  of  sheep  and  goats  and  a 
cow,  with  which  they  were  to  do  as  they  liked,  and  no 


FORT  INIBENI. 


doubt  they  would  make  a  big  feast  when  they  reached 
their  new  home,  and  kill  the  cow  for  that  purpose. 

After  two  days'  rest  and  preparation,  I  again  set  out  upon 
my  journey,  which  now  was  to  be  of  the  deepest  interest 
to  me,  and  half  an  hour  after  we  left  Mbeni  we  had 
entered  the  dark  gloom  of  the  primeval  forest. 

The  great  forest  of  Central  Africa  has  an  area  of  no 
less  than  300,000  square  miles,  and  is  penetrated  to  a 
very  considerable  distance  by  the  two  majestic  rivers,  the 
Congo  and  the  Aruwimi.    That  part  in  which  is  found 


298 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


that  extraordinary  race  of  people  known  to  the  world 
as  the  Pygmies,  is  not  more  than  one-thirtieth  of  the 
whole  area,  and  it  is  with  this  particular  part  that  I 
shall  deal.  Passing  through  as  I  did,  not  as  a  great  ex- 
plorer who  has  time,  money,  and  patience  at  his  disposal, 
whose  hobby  it  is  to  pry  into  the  secrets  of  Nature ;  but 
merely  as  a  lonely  traveller,  bent  upon  reaching  home 
in  as  short  a  tnne  as  ]DOSsible,  all  my  observations  in 
the  forest  were  necessarily  very  hurriedly  made.  But 
there  w^ere  certain  things  in  the  forest  that  could  not 
possibly  escape  my  notice.  So  varied,  and  yet  so  uniform 
are  its  features,  that  it  would  require  many  chapters,  nay 
volumes,  to  be  wTitten  to  give  an  adequate  idea  of  its 
true  character.  The  botanist  would  find  new  specimens 
of  ferns  and  flowers  almost  every  step  of  the  journey ;  the 
geologist  w^ould  have  open  before  him  a  field  for  unlimited 
research,  and  the  zoologist  would  find  a  storehouse  of 
never-failing  interest.  As  to  the  adventurer  or  sportsman, 
both  would  meet  with  all  they  could  desire,  and  more 
than  even  their  wildest  dreams  could  depict.  All  is 
so  beautiful,  and  yet  so  weird  and  uncanny :  the 
majestic  trees  towering  up  to  the  sky  180  to  200  feet 
high,  interlacing  their  foliage,  and  thus  preventing  even 
the  tropical  rays  of  the  sun  from  penetrating,  and  shutting 
out  the  glorious  sky  from  view^ ;  festooned  in  w^ild  confusion, 
with  giant  cables  from  two  inches  to  a  foot  in  diameter,  and 
these  intertwined  with  the  slender  cords  and  creepers, 
until  the  whole  is  one  dense  tangle  of  vegetation.  The 
ground  is  strewn  with  the  empty  pods  of  the  giant  tree 
beans,  and  dead  leaves.  Here  and  there  a  forest  monarch 
has  been  uprooted,  either  by  the  force  of  tempest  or 
through  the  decay  of  old  age,  and  crashing  to  the  earth  it 
has  drawn  down  with  it  a  solid  mass  of  twisted  and 
contorted  bushes,  but  it  has  let  a  little  sunlight  in,  a^nd 
dispersed  the  dark  shades  of  eternal  twilight.    The  space 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


299 


will  soon  be  filled  up  again  by  the  multitudes  of  smaller 
trees  which  in  their  turn  will  be  numbered  among  the 
monarchs  of  the  forest.  Very  occasionally  a  clearing 
is  found,  where  at  some  remote  period  lived  a  few 
fragments  of  a  tribe,  long  since  moved  to  other  quarters 
or  become  extinct.  Here  is  found  the  coarse,  rank  grass 
which  has  flourished  in  the  sun,  and  it  is  even  more 
difficult  to  force  a  passage  through.  Cuts  and  scratches 
from  the  knife-like  blades  of  grass,  or  the  poisonous 
thorns,  are  the  natural  results. 

One  or  two  villages  still  exist  in  the  midst  of  the 
P^^gmy  forest  even  to-day  wherein  live  a  few  xlrabs. 
These  now  are  surrounded  by  a  number  of  slaves 
drawn  from  the  tribes  that  live  on  the  river  banks 
to  the  south,  and  there  is  little  doubt  but  that  they, 
the  Arabs,  are  there  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
slaves.  Eight  away,  hidden  in  the  dark  shades  of  the 
forest,  who  would  think  of  looking  there  for  the  wild 
Islamite "? 

Apparently  a  good  feeling  exists  between  these  Arabs 
and  their  fellow  denizens  of  the  thicket,  the  former 
selling  various  kinds  of  good  sweet  potatoes,  maize,  c^^c, 
for  fresh  meat  and  honey  from  the  bush  brought  in  by  the 
Pygmies.  As  to  the  animal  life  of  the  forest,  what  shall 
w^e  say  of  that?  it  is  a  subject  of  all-absorbing  interest. 
Elephants  and  buffalo  are  met  with  constantly,  sometimes 
in  herds,  sometimes  singly  ;  wild  pigs  and  forest  antelope, 
many  species  of  gazelles,  chimpanzee,  gorilla,  and  vast 
quantities  of  monkeys  of  every  kind  are  seen ;  leopards, 
panthers,  wild  cats,  civets,  hyaenas,  and  reptiles.  Deadly 
snakes  will  be  found  hanging  from  the  branches  of  the 
trees,  or  curled  up  amongst  the  decaying  vegetation 
beneath ;  huge  black  adders,  pythons,  bright  green 
snakes  with  wicked  red  eyes,  whip-cord  snakes  which 
look  for  all  the  world  like  green  twigs.    The  forest  is 


300 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


tlireaded  with  a  network  of  rivers  and  streams,  and  all 
seemed  full  of  fish.  There  are  also  crocodiles  and  hippos, 
water-snakes  and  lizards,  leeches  and  slow-worms. 

Birds  of  every  description  and  varied  hue,  abound, 
parrots  undoubtedly  predominating,  paraquets,  swifts, 
owls,  guinea-fowl,  kingfishers,  fish  eagles,  divers,  kites, 
hornbills  in  great  variety ;  pigeons,  doves,  honey-birds. 


MY  CARAVAN  IN  FOREST. 


and  all  kinds  of  night  birds.  In  the  daytime  it  is 
delightful  to  sit  and  listen  to  the  singing  of  the  birds, 
their  songs  are  so  different  from  the  bird  songs  of  Europe ; 
some  w4th  deep  musical  sounds  like  the  tolling  of  a  bell. 
The  black  and  white  wagtail  is  so  tame  that  he  will  sit 
within  a  few  yards  and  pour  forth  his  beautiful  notes. 
The  tiny  honey-bird  darts  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  like 
streaks  of  light,  issuing  forth  its  twit,  twit,  as  it  alights 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


301 


upon  some  honey-bedewed  blossom.  Overhead  the 
ungainly  hornbill  ploughs  its  way  above  the  tree-tops 
calling  to  its  mate,  and  the  screaming  of  the  parrots  as  in 
great  flocks  they  make  their  flight  along  the  river  banks, 
or  through  the  tangled  mass  of  vegetation  overhead,  is 
almost  deafening. 

By  the  little  streams  are  countless  numbers  of  wonderful 


I^^TEllIOR  OF  ANT  HILL. 


butterflies,  some  as  large  as  swifts,  and  all  most  gorgeously 
coloured. 

The  insect  life  baffles  description.  Everywhere  there 
is  life  :  insects  dropping  from  above,  crawling  about  on 
the  earth,  and  flying  in  the  space  between,  into  eyes  and 
mouth,  recklessly  committing  suicide.  No  stick  can  be 
grasped  without  getting  something  in  one's  hand  ;  no 


302 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


tree  climbed  without  being  immediately  covered  with 
ants  or  beetles.  Cockroaches,  centipedes,  and  crickets 
were  everywhere.  At  night  the  stillness  w^as  broken  by 
the  incessant  croak  of  the  frogs,  combined  with  the  shrill, 
perpetual  noise  of  the  cicada  ;  the  weird  moaning  among 
the  trees,  or  the  sudden  crashing  to  earth  of  some  forest 
giant,  which  perhaps  had  stood  for  centuries ;  or  the 
ghastly  yelps  of  the  leopard  as  it  silently  creeps  from  its 
hiding-place  in  search  of  food.  In  fact,  no  place  on 
earth's  surface  could  be  more  in  keeping  with  the  strange 
little  people  inhabiting  this  dark  forest. 

For  the  first  few  miles  after  we  had  entered,  a  very  good 
road  had  been  cleared  which  made  walking  easy,  but  I 
must  confess  there  was  a  very  wild,  almost  unearthly  look 
about  the  forest  that  gave  one  a  very  creepy  sensation. 
Gradually  the  path  seemed  to  come  to  an  end,  and  only  a 
tiny  track,  like  that  of  a  wild  beast,  was  left  to  indicate  to 
us  the  direction  ;  then  it  was  we  experienced  out  first 
feelings  of  dread.  AVe  had  reached  a  very  dark  patch  of 
forest,  through  which  no  light  at  all  seemed  to  penetrate ; 
we  could  have  imagined  it  to  be  night  time ;  although  it 
was  only  1  p.m.  Suddenly  we  heard  a  great  noise  not 
far  from  our  track  as  of  a  crowd  of  people  talking 
wildly  together.  Everybody  looked  scared,  and  I  asked 
the  guide,  who  was  to  accompany  us  half  way  through  the 
forest,  what  the  noise  was  about,  and  he  said  it  was 
"  Nkima  Nhuhwa  "  ("  large  monkeys  ").  I  had  been  told 
by  the  Belgians  that  in  all  probability  we  should  meet  with 
gorilla  in  the  forest,  and  so  I  supposed  these  must  have 
been  some  ;  the  chatter  was  certainly  most  human,  and 
sounded  like  a  lot  of  people  quarrelling.  It  added  much 
to  the  strangeness  of  the  place. 

Late  in  the  evening  we  arrived  at  one  of  the  Arab 
settlements  above  mentioned.  The  old  gentleman  in 
charge  was  extremely  kind  and  attentive,  and  told  me  that 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


303 


he  had  been  placed  there  by  the  Belgians  to  keep  the  road 
through  the  forest  cleared,  but  when  I  chaffed  him  about 
this  and  said,  "  Where  is  the  road  ?  "  he  replied — You  do 
not  expect  to  find  roads  like  there  are  in  Zanzibar,  do 
you?  " 

The  following  day  we  had  a  hard  tussle  with  the 
forest ;  the  path  was  very  soon  lost,  and  it  became  a 
hand-to-hand  fight.  I  had  with  me  an  old  sword-bayonet, 
and  with  this  I  chopped  my  way,  making  room  also  for 


MY  CARAVAN  CROSSING  RIVER  IN  PYGMY  FOREST. 


the  porters  who  followed  me  with  the  loads.  It  was 
desperate  work,  and  I  kept  turning  to  the  guide  who  was 
behind  me  asking  him  the  direction,  and  I  soon  found 
that  he  was  hopelessly  lost,  and  I  had  to  produce  my 
compass  and  follow  that,  taking  a  north-westerly  course. 
My  desire  was  to  get  as  soon  as  possible  to  the  Ituri  river, 
and  then  follow  along  its  banks  until  it  became  navigable, 
which  was,  I  believed,  a  little  above  Avakubi. 

Every  now  and  then  we  found  a  small  track,  which 
seemed  to  lead  in  the  right  direction,  and  along  this  we 


304 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


wended  our  way,  until  it  turned  off  to  the  right  or  left, 
and  we  then  went  straight  ahead.  Sometimes  we  came 
to  deep  gulhes  at  the  bottom  of  which  were  httle  streams, 
and  the  porters  had  great  difficulty  in  making  their  way 
up  and  down  the  steep  banks.  Beaching  a  very  high 
eminence  there  was  a  clearing  where  at  some  remote 
period  a  village  had  existed.  I  looked  back  over  the 
country  through  which  we  had  passed,  and  away  there  in 
the  dim  distance  we  could  see  the  glorious  peaks  of 
Euwenzori,  quite  free  from  clouds  on  then'  crest,  and  the 
glittering  snows  looked  radiant  in  the  sunlight.  It  was 
the  very  last  glimpse  we  had  of  the  mountains,  which 
were  then  about  fifty  miles  distant. 

We  at  last  struck  a  path  that  we  found  led  to  a 
village  called  Sakarumbi,  where  a  small  number  of  people 
lived. 

The  next  few  days  w^ere  spent  in  cutting  our  way  along 
through  the  undergrowth.  What  a  terrible  business  it 
was  !  The  forest  seemed  to  get  thicker  and  thicker,  and 
even  in  the  middle  of  the  day  it  was  like  advanced 
twilight.  At  night  we  always  cleared,  as  best  we  could, 
a  little  plot  of  ground  where  we  might  pitch  the  tent,  and 
around  it  the  porters  built  a  strong  fence  or  zareba,  by 
driving  stakes  into  the  soft  mud,  and  fastening  on  cross- 
pieces  with  tough  bark.  The  tent  ropes  were  fixed  to 
the  trees,  and  the  porters  and  boys  built  themselves  little 
shelters  with  the  small  saplings  and  then  thatched  them 
with  the  leaves  of  the  trees.  Herds  of  elephants  roamed 
about  everywhere,  and  at  night  we  often  heard  them  quite 
close  to  our  camp,  breaking  off  the  branches  of  the  trees, 
trumpeting  and  squealing,  and  we  sometimes  feared  they 
would  come  walking  into  our  camp,  treading  us  underfoot 
as  w^e  slept.  I  arose  one  morning  and  went  outside  of  the 
tent,  before  the  men  were  av/ake,  and  there  I  saw,  look- 
ing over  the  zareba  round  the  tent,  a  huge  old  tusker. 


LY  DWARF  LAND, 


305 


evidently  in  deep  thought,  and  wondering  what  on  earth 
this  could  mean.  When  he  caught  sight  of  me  he  looked 
a  little  startled,  but  did  not  seem  in  a  particular  hurry  to 
run  away,  and  it  was  only  by  making  a  great  noise  of 
clapping  and  shouting  that  he  condescended  to  move  off 
while  I  performed  my  toilet. 

The  rivers  were  a  constant  source  of  trouble  to  us,  and 
we  had  to  cross  sometimes  as  many  as  thirty  in  a  day ; 


FIRST  CAMP  IN  FOREST. 


some  were  but  small  streams,  but  others  great  rivers, 
that  w^ere  most  difficult  to  ford.  Occasionally  we  found 
a  rough  bridge  made  by  a  tree  having  fallen  across  the 
stream,  and  very  gingerly  we  had  to  make  our  way  across 
this ;  but  it  was  not  easy  to  keep  the  perpendicular, 
especially  if  the  tree  were  but  a  small  one  and  slippery, 
as  they  always  were,  and  many  a  ducking  I  got.  Rain 
seemed  to  be  almost  incessant — in  fact,  we  hardly  knew^ 

21 


3o6 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


when  it  was  actually  raining  and  when  it  was  not,  as  the 
thick  tangled  mass  overhead  was  always  dropping  with 
moisture,  and  we  were  seldom  dry.  Most  of  the  rivers, 
however,  we  had  to  w^ade  through,  and  w^ith  w^ater  up  to 
one's  armpits,  and  a  strong  current,  this  was  more 
difficult  still.  Often  the  water  was  very  offensive,  and 
none  was  safe  to  drink  unboiled  and  w^ithout  being  well 
filtered.  The  donkey  was  constantly  getting  into  trouble 
in  these  rivers,  and  we  had  to  exercise  great  patience  w^ith 
the  poor  animal.  I  soon  wished  I  had  never  brought  her 
into  the  forest,  as  it  was  of  course  impossible  to  ride  her, 
owing  to  the  tangled  undergrowth. 

One  night  I  had  a  rather  trying  experience.  It  was 
midnight  and  I  was  quietly  sleeping,  when  suddenly  I 
became  aware  of  a  most  terrible  pricking  sensation  all 
over  my  body.  It  w^as  as  though  pins  were  being  thrust 
into  me  in  every  part.  Then  I  heard  my  dog  Sally  racing 
about  the  tent  in  a  most  frantic  manner,  knocking  every- 
thing over,  including  my  w^ashing  basin,  which  was  full  of 
water,  and  which  of  course  came  all  over  my  bed.  I 
thought  it  was  time  I  got  up  to  see  what  was  amiss.  I 
struck  a  light,  w^hen  I  had  at  last  found  those  tiresome 
matches,  and  then  beheld  the  tent  simply  besieged  by  red 
ants,  the  real  biting  kind.  My  word  !  how^  they  did  go 
for  me  !  I  rushed  from  the  tent  to  call  the  boys  and 
porters.  They  all  brought  fire  and  surrounded  the  tent, 
and  commenced  killing  the  myriads  of  pests  that  were 
inside,  whilst  I,  shivering  with  cold,  stood  outside  the 
tent  in  the  rain,  picking  dozens  of  these  dangerous 
vermin  off  my  poor  aching  limbs.  It  was  not  till  2 
p.m.  that  the  place  was  tolerably  cleared  and  even  in  the 
morning,  wdien  dressing,  I  found  many  of  the  ants  on  my 
clothing. 

On  the  6th  of  October  we  had  two  adventures,  which  I 
will  proceed  to  relate. 


IN  DWARF  LAXD. 


307 


In  the  early  morning,  while  as  usual  I  was  busy 
chopping  away  at  the  tangled  vegetation  before  me — we 
had  long  since  lost  all  sign  of  a  path — a  huge  black 
snake  darted  out  just  a  yard  in  front  of  me,  reared  its 
head,  and  prepared  for  its  deadly  strike  ;  for  a  moment  I 
seemed  paralysed  and  powerless  to  move,  but  I  fortunately 
recovered  myself,  and  jumped  back  a  yard  or  two,  only 
just  in  time,  for  almost  simultaneously  with  my  movement 


CROSSING  A  RIVER  IN  THE  FOREST. 


it  darted  forward  and  only  just  missed  my  leg  ;  I  made  a 
slash  at  it,  but  missed,  and  then  it  reared  its  head  again 
and  slowly  glided  away.  What  a  horrible  monster!  as 
black  as  ink  and  12  feet  long  at  least,  and  as  it  went, 
it  kept  its  little  sparkling  eyes  fixed  upon  me;  I  was 
most  heartily  glad  when  it  had  passed.  But  the  second 
adventure  was  of  much  greater  importance. 

We  had  now  been  in  the  forest  for  six  long  days. 


3o8 


/X  DWARF  LA  AW. 


and  had  never  once  seen  the  shghtest  sign  of  Pygmies, 
and  1  began  to  half  beheve  that  after  ah  the  Pygmy 
stories  were  not  true ;   but  on  this  particular  day  I 
was  converted  to  believe  most  thoroughly  in  Pygmies. 
I  was  still  at  the  head  of  the  caravan,  rifle  in  hand, 
looking  out  for  a  shot  at  some  wild  pigs  that  had  been 
seen  a  little  while  before.    The  forest  was  not  so  dense 
as  it  had  been  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  day,  and  w^e 
were  making  our  w^ay  along  a  small  antelope  track  w^hich 
was  in  the  direction  we  were  going.    My  boy,  who  was 
just  behind  me,  suddenly  stopped  and  pointed  out  to  me 
what  he  described  as  a  "  man-monkey."    I  looked  up  the 
tree  at  wdiich  he  was  pointing,  and  there,  near  the  top  of 
a  high  cotton-tree,  I  saw  what  I  thought  must  be  from 
the  boy's  description  a  gorilla.    In  the  thick  foliage  it 
was  impossible  to  get  a  clear  view,  and  I  could  only  see 
that  it  was  some  creature  of  large  dimensions,  to  be  so 
near  the  top  of  a  tree  like  that.    I  therefore  raised  my 
rifle  to  my  shoulder,  took  steady  aim,  and  prepared  to 
fire.    I  had  been  unsuccessful  in  killing  the  wild  pig, 
and  I  thought  at  any  rate  monkey  would  be  better  than 
nothing,  and  it  would  not  have  been  the  first  time  that 
we  had  been  reduced  to  that.    I  had  very  nearly  pulled 
the  trigger,  indeed  ni}^  finger   was  actually  upon  it, 
when  my  boy,  who  was  still  carefully  studying  the 
creature  up  the  tree,  suddenly  pulled  my  arm  and  said, 
"Don't  fire — it's  a  man!"    I  almost  dropped  my  gun, 
so  great  was  my  astonishment.    Could  it  possibly  be 
so  ?    Yes,  there  he  was  ;  I  could  now  clearly  distinguish 
him.    He  had  discovered  us,  had  heard  my  boy  speak  to 
me,  and  while  with  breathless  horror  we  stood  there 
gazing,  the  little  man  ran  along  the  branch  on  which  he 
stood,  and  jumping  from  tree  to  tree  soon  disappeared. 
It  was  a  Pygmy,  and  how  nearly  had  he  paid  the  penalty 
of  climbing  trees  !    What  the  result  would  have  been  if  I 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


309 


had  killed  him  1  cannot  say,  for,  as  I  found  out  after- 
wards, he  was  not  alone,  and  had  he  been  shot  the  whole 
tribe  would  have  been  down  upon  us,  and  with  their 
deadly  little  weapons  would  soon  have  put  an  end  to  us. 
But  now  my  boy  was  literally  shaking  with  fear.  "  We 
have  seen  a  Pygmy,  we  have  seen  a  Pygmy ;  we  shall  now 
see  sorrow."  It  was  an  old  idea  of  the  Watoro  that  the 
Pygmies  were  Bachioezi  (devils),  and  they  always 
spoke  of  them  with  bated  breath,  and  declared  that  no 
one  ever  saw  one  and  lived  to  tell  the  story  ;  that  to  see 
one  was  to  die.  I  laughed  at  him  and  told  him  it  was 
all  right ;  God  would  protect  us,  and  we  should  get  through 
the  forest  in  safety ;  had  He  not  preserved  us  thus  far 
from  dangers  on  every  hand  ?  and  w^e  must  trust  Him  to 
keep  us  all  the  way. 

Five  o'clock  came  and  it  was  time  to  pitch  camp.  We 
found  a  nice  spot  which  w^as  tolerably  clear  from  under- 
growth, although  it  was  quite  thick  overhead,  and  here  we 
put  the  tent,  and  the  porters  built  their  little  huts.  I  then 
sat  down  at  my  tent  door  and  tried  to  read.  Presently, 
upon  looking  up  from  my  book,  I  became  aware  of  a 
number  of  little  faces  peering  at  me  through  the  thicket. 
Just  in  front  of  me  was  the  trunk  of  a  huge  tree  and 
around  one  side  of  it  there  peeped  a  tiny  figure.  For  a 
moment  I  was  completely  taken  aback  ;  it  was  like  being 
in  fairyland  and  having  visits  paid  to  one  by  the  fairies 
themselves.  My  boys,  who  were  sitting  near  at  hand 
cooking  some  food  for  our  evening  meal,  also  caught  sight 
of  these  strange  little  beings  and  came  at  once  to  my  side. 
I  told  one  of  them  to  go  and  fetch  the  little  people,  that 
I  might  talk  with  them,  but  he  was  too  much  afraid,  and 
refused  to  leave  my  side.  Indeed  I  did  not  wonder  at  his 
fear,  for  I  too  began  to  have  strange  apprehensions  as  to 
the  character  of  my  visitors.  I  did  not  know  whether 
they  had  not  come  to  attack  me,  and  how  soon  I  might 


310 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


find  myself  pierced  with  a  deadly  arrow.  At  last  I  called 
out  in  the  language  of  the  people  of  Toro  just  the  ordinary 
salutation  of  the  country,  and  to  my  great  astonishment 
and  pleasure  one  little  man  returned  my  greeting.  I 
then  said  to  him,  ''Come  here  and  let  us  talk  together." 
This  I  shouted  out  several  times,  and  then,  very  slowly 
and  very  shyly  he  came  creeping  towards  me,  followed  by 
the  others.  "When  he  got  into  the  open  space  before  my 
tent  he  seemed  very  unhappy,  and  stared  at  me  in  blank 
amazement  and  hid  his  face  behind  his  hands.  Some 
of  his  companions  dodged  behind  each  other,  while  the 
majority  remained  partly  hidden  in  the  jungle. 

I  now  had  a  complete  view  of  my  visitors,  and  what 
struck  me  first  of  all  was  naturally  the  shortness  of  their 
stature.  But,  although  they  were  so  very  short  (about  4 
feet,  by  subsequent  measurement),  yet  there  was  a  power- 
fulness  about  their  build  that  is  not  often  seen  in  African 
races.  Broad  chested,  with  muscles  finely  developed, 
short,  thick  neck,  and  small  bullet  head,  the  lower  limbs 
were  massive  and  strong  to  a  degree.  The  chest  was 
covered  with  black,  curly  hair,  and  most  of  the  men  wore 
thick,  black  beards.  Each  carried  either  bow  and  quiver 
of  arrows,  or  short  throwing-spears.  Bound  their  arms 
they  wore  iron  rings,  and  some  of  them  had  these  round 
their  necks  also.  I  chatted  away  to  the  little  man  who 
knew  the  Toro  language,  and  I  was  very  much  amazed  at 
the  smart  way  in  which  he  answered  my  questions.  His 
knowledge  of  the  language  was  not  perfect  by  any  means, 
and  he  often  used  words  that  were  strange  to  me,  and 
savoured  of  Pygmy  Land,  yet  he  spoke  sufficiently  well 
for  me  to  be  able  to  follow  him. 

None  of  his  followers — for  he  was  their  chief — seemed 
to  know  the  Toro  language  at  all,  and  merely  stood 
looking  on,  lost  in  wonder  at  the  white  man's  appearance. 
He,  the  chief,  had  at  some  time  or  other  come  in  contact 


I 


/X  DIWIRF  LA XI). 


313 


with  the  people  of  Toro,  possibly  at  Mboga,  and  had  there 
learned  their  language.  I  asked  him  all  sorts  of  questions 
relating  to  the  forest  and  to  themselves,  most  of  which 
he  answered  with  marvellous  intelligence,  speaking  in  a 
rapid,  sing-song  way.  I  asked  him  the  extent  of  the 
forest,  as  occupied  by  the  Pygmies,  and  he  described 
the  distance  by  telling  me  the  number  of  days  it  would 
take  to  pass  through  ;  from  east  to  west  seven  days, 
and  from  north  to  south  about  six  days,  and,  roughly 
speaking  about  one  hundred  and  forty  by  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  broad,  that  is,  counting  twenty  miles 
as  an  average  day's  march,  which  would  be  fairly  good 
walking  even  for  a  native  in  the  forest.  I  next  asked  him 
the  number  of  his  people,  and  he  took  a  piece  of  stick 
and  broke  it  up  into  little  pieces,  about  forty  in  all,  and 
said  that  each  piece  represented  a  chief,  and  he  then  went 
on  to  tell  me  the  number  of  followers  of  each ;  some  had 
two  hundred,  others  only  fift}^  and  a  few  as  many  as  five 
hundred.  It  was  very  simple  then  to  calculate  that  the 
total  number  would  be  somewhere  about  ten  thousand. 

Then  the  Pygmy  chief  told  me  that  he  knew  long  ago 
of  my  coming,  and  I  asked  him,  "  How  ?  "  He  said  that 
several  days  ago  he  saw  me.  "  Saw  me  ?  "  I  said,  when 
did  you  see  me "?  "  ''I  have  seen  you  in  the  forest  for 
six  days."  "  But  I  did  not  see  you,"  I  said;  and  then  he 
laughed  most  heartily  and  said,  "  Xo,  I  could  not  see  him, 
but  he  saw^  me."  Upon  further  inquiry  I  found  that  a 
large  party  of  these  little  creatures  had  been  watching  our 
every  movement  all  through  the  forest,  while  we  were  in 
the  most  blissful  ignorance  of  the  fact.  At  every  camp 
they  had  hovered  about  us,  peering  at  us  through  the 
thicket  as  we  passed.  Why  did  they  not  attack  us?  is 
the  question  that  kept  coming  up  into  my  mind.  If  they 
are  the  thievish,  wicked  little  people  that  they  have 
been  represented,  why  did  they  not  molest  us  '?  We 


314 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


were  entirely  in  their  power,  and  had  been  for  the  past 
six  days.  Perhaps  it  was  our  very  helplessness  that 
protected  us — they  saw  that  we  were  not  as  the  other 
white  men  who  had  passed  through  their  forest,  armed 
with  guns,  and  having  a  big  following  of  soldiers  ;  or 
perhaps  I  had  been  overheard  speaking  in  the  language 
of  Toro  to  my  boys,  and  this  had  given  them  confidence. 
I  firmly  believe,  however,  that  they  are  not  untrustworthy 
folk,  as  is  usually  supposed,  but,  like  most  Africans,  w^hen 
not  interfered  wdth  they  are  perfectly  harmless.  I  cannot 
say  which  of  these  answers  meets  the  case  ;  I  leave  the 
reader  to  judge  for  himself.  At  any  rate,  upon  this  and 
subsequent  occasions  when  I  had  intercourse  with  them 
in  the  great  forest,  I  was  most  kindly  treated.  The  little 
chief  brought  me  a  forest  antelope  for  food,  also  a  large 
pot  of  honey,  that  I  requested  him  to  taste  first.  Before 
they  retired  for  the  night,  I  asked  them  to  come  again  in 
the  morning  to  see  me,  and  the  chief  said  he  w^ould  do  so, 
and  the  next  day  I  therefore  had  further  conversation 
with  these  strange  little  folk. 

Their  mode  of  living  is  extraordinary ;  they  never 
cultivate  the  ground,  but  wander  from  place  to  place, 
gathering  the  fruit,  nuts,  &c.,  from  the  trees,  and  the 
w^ild  honey.  The  animals  they  shoot  with  their  bow^s  and 
arrows,  and  the  hunt  was  most  graphically  described  to 
me.  Often  they  follow  a  wounded  elephant  for  days, 
shooting  into  it  hundreds  of  their  little  iron-tipped  arrows, 
until  the  poor  creature  dies  from  sheer  exhaustion.  They 
th-en  make  their  little  camp  all  round  the  carcase,  and 
live  upon  the  flesh  as  long  as  it  will  last,  and  then  away 
they  go  again  to  seek  other  food.  Their  method  of 
catching  wild  pigs  and  forest  antelope  is  very  interesting. 
Two  or  three  of  the  more  agile  of  the  men  are  sent  off 
into  the  thicket  to  search  for  the  animal.  These  little 
fellows  sometimes  climb  the  trees,  and  move  along  the 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


315 


branches  from  tree  to  tree,  peering  down  into  the  dense 
undergrowth.  In  the  meantime  a  large  net  made  out  of 
creepers  is  held  in  readiness,  and  men,  women  and  children 
alike,  arm  themselves  ready  for  the  fray,  some  with  sticks, 
but  most  of  the  men  with  bows  and  arrows.  After  a  little 
time  a  shrill,  birdlike  whistle  is  heard  from  the  forest ; 
it  is  the  signal  from  the  searchers  that  game  has  been 
found.  Away  the  little  army  goes,  all  noiselessly  picking 
their  way  through  the  jungle  and  tangled  undergrowth, 
in  the  direction  of  the  whistle.  As  they  get  near  to  the 
spot  they  quietly  surround  it,  each  man  or  woman 
keeping  within  sight  of  the  next ;  the  net  is  fixed  up  on 
to  the  bushes,  in  one  part  of  the  circle,  and  then  when 
all  is  ready  the  whole  party  commences  a  great  shouting, 
beating  the  thicket,  and  very  slowly  driving  all  before 
them  into  the  net,  where  stand  the  men  w4th  bows  and 
arrows.  Into  the  net  rushes  the  pig  or  antelope,  which 
is  immediately  shot  through  and  through  by  the  expert 
marksmen,  and  the  hunt  is  finished.  The  meat  is  carried 
back  to  the  camp,  the  blood  being  specially  preserved  for 
the  chief. 

In  the  jnorning  I  tried  to  photograph  my  little  friends, 
but  it  was  quite  hopeless.  It  was  too  dark  in  the 
forest  itself,  and  I  could  not  persuade  them  to  come  out 
into  a  clearing,  where  I  might  get  light  enough.  I  tried 
time  after  time,  but  always  failed.  I  exposed  nearly  a 
dozen  plates,  but  with  no  good  results ;  snapshots  were 
useless,  and  I  could  not  get  them  still  enough  for  a  time 
exposure. 

At  our  next  camp,  a  small  village,  I  met  many  more 
Pygmies,  and  I  was  able  by  interpretation,  to  hold  quite 
an  interesting  conversation  w^ith  them.  None  of  these 
could  speak  the  Toro  language,  but  in  the  village  w^as  a 
man  who  could  speak  the  Pygmy  language,  and  w^ho  also 
knew  Kiswahili,  and  I  was  thus  able  to  make  myself 
understood. 


3i6 


/y  DWARF  LAND. 


The  Pygmies  seemed  to  roam  about  not  far  from  these 
forest  settlements,  and  keep  in  constant  communication 
with  them  ;  for  the  plantains,  potatoes,  and  other  food 
the  Pygmies  give  fresh  meat  and  honey.  But  at  one 
village  that  I  came  upon  unexpectedly  I  had  a  singular 
adventure.  The  place  was  governed  by  an  Arab,  who 
had  a  large  number  of  so-called  Arab  followers,  but  who 
in  reality  were  only  Wanyema.  The  Arab  chief  was 
most  rude  and  inhospitable  when  I  arrived  ;  I  could  not 
make  it  out.  Upon  my  entrance  into  his  village  he  at 
once  came  forward  with  his  men  and  challenged  me  as  to 
my  business,  and  I  explained  who  I  was,  and  where  I  was 
going,  but  my  explanation  did  not  seem  to  satisfy  him, 
and  he  said,  "  You  cannot  go  through  here  ;  this  country 
belongs  to  the  Belgians,  and  you  are  not  a  Belgian."  I 
explained  that  I  had  permission  from  the  Belgians  to  pass 
that  way,  and  who  was  he  that  he  should  hinder  me? 
Upon  this  he  became  angry,  and  said  something  in  Arabic, 
which  I  did  not  understand,  to  some  of  his  attendants. 
They  ran  off  into  the  house,  and  presently  returned  with 
their  guns,  and  surrounded  me.  Now,"  said  the  Arab, 
''you  are  not  going  through  here."  I  told  him  he  had 
made  some  great  mistake,  and  that  we  had  better  talk  the 
matter  over  candidly  together,  upon  which  I  sat  down 
and  he  did  also.  My  boys  who  carried  my  sporting  guns, 
when  they  saw  the  Arabs  arm  themselves,  immediately 
came  running  to  me,  and  stood  one  on  either  side  of  me 
with  guns  in  hand.  I  turned  angrily  to  them,  and  asked 
them  what  they  wanted  with  the  guns,  and  sent  them 
back  to  the  caravan.  I  then  turned  to  the  Arab  and 
asked  him  if  he  would  allow  me  to  spend  the  night  here  in 
his  village,  and  go  on  in  the  morning  without  any  inter- 
ference ?  No,  he  would  not ;  and  then  I  did  not  know 
what  to  say.  Suddenly  I  had  a  strange  inspiration,  and 
again  addressing   the   fellow   I   said,  "  Do  you  know 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


317 


Tippu-Tib '?  "What?"  he  said  in  great  excitement, 
"  Tippu-Tib  ?  "  "  Yes  ;  do  you  know  him  ?  "  "I  should 
think  I  do,"  said  he;  "do  you  know  him  ?  "  "  Yes,"  I 
rephed  ;  "he  is  an  old  friend  of  mine  ;  I  met  him  at 
Zanzibar,  and  made  his  acquaintance."  "  Allah  I  "  said 
the  Ai'ab,  "you  know^  Tippu-Tib?  Tell  me  quickly  how 
he  is."  I  then  said  all  I  could  about  this  distinguished 
prisoner  at  Zanzibar,  explaining  as  fluently  as  possible  in 
Swahili,  his  appearance,  k<z.  I  never  saw"  such  a  change 
in  any  man,  as  came  over  this  Arab.  Instead  of  rudeness, 
he  was  now  the  essence  of  politeness.  He  extended  his 
hand  to  me,  ordered  his  men  to  make  his  own  house 
ready  for  me,  sent  off  for  food,  and,  in  short,  treated  me 
with  the  utmost  kindness  and  consideration.  It  turned 
out  after  further  conversation,  that  he  was  a  near  relative 
of  Tippu-Tib's,  and  by  my  slight  acquaintance  with  that 
gentleman  at  Zanzibar,  I  was  saved  from  what  might 
have  been  a  most  awkward  business.  His  chief  reason 
for  not  wishing  me  to  pass  through  his  village  was  un- 
doubtedly, because  the  place  was  full  of  slaves,  gathered 
from  various  parts.  He  evidently  thought  that  if  I  got 
throuoh,  having  seen  all  these,  I  should  tell  the  Belgians 
of  his  existence  in  the  forest,  and  they  would  send 
soldiers  to  capture  him.  Thus  once  more  we  had  to 
raise  the  note  of  praise  and  thanksgiving ;  for  the  loving, 
all-watchful  eye  of  our  Father  had  been  upon  us,  and 
we  were  again  preserved  from  danger,  and  were  able 
to  continue  our  journey.  Five  more  days  in  the  forest 
brought  us  to  Kilonga-Longa,  now  called  Mawambi. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


kilonctA-longa  to  avakubi 


Kilonga-Longa  or  ^Nlawambi — The  donkey  sold — Gymnastics  in  the  forest 
— A  narrow  escape — Falling  trees — The  Pygmies  again — Renewed 
friendship — Bows  and  arrows — A  Pygmy  settlement — Pygmy  women 
— Pygmy  temples — Fever — My  black  nurse — Elephant  scatters  the 
porters — Wild  pig — Snake  adventure — Fishing — Crossing  river  on 
fallen  tree — The  guide  kills  an  elephant — A  hungry  panther — Two 
days  through  water — Pengi — Canoes  awaiting  us — Socks  versus  stock- 
ings— First  experiences  on  river — Shooting  the  rapids — Canoe  men 
submerged — Canoe  smashed  up — A  miserable  night — Avakubi. 


ILONGA-LONGA  is  now  not  quite  the  place  that  it 


j\  used  to  be.  A  few  years  ago  it  was  merely  a  small 
settlement  where  lived  the  chief  Kilonga-Longa,  from 
w^hom  it  took  its  name,  an  Arab,  whose  real  name  w^as 
Uledi,  and  a  company  of  people  w^ho  had  attached  them- 
selves to  him  ;  these  consisted  chiefly  of  Manyema.  He 
was  of  course  a  slave  raider  and  ivory  collector.  He  had 
a  great  number  of  slaves,  whom  he  used  to  pass  on  to 
others,  selling  them  for  ivory,  of  which  he  collected  an 
enormous  quantity.  He  had  many  dealings  with  the 
Pygmies,  and  they  had  a  kind  of  alliance  with  him, 
bringing  him  ivory,  honey,  and  meat  in  exchange  for  food 
of  various  kinds,  such  as  rice,  maize,  potatoes,  and  yams. 
Kilonga-Longa  had  long  since  died,  and  another  man,  a 
Manyema,  once  a  follower  of  his,  had  been  made  chief. 


318 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


319 


The  name  of  the  place  had  been  altered  to  Mawambi, 
after  its  present  chief,  who  had  been  placed  there  by  the 
Belgian  authorities,  and  he  was  instructed  to  do  away 
with  all  slave  raiding  and  trading  of  every  kind.  This 
man  had  done  his  duty  and  the  district  was  now  a  peace- 
able one. 

Much  to  my  astonishment  I  met  here  two  Europeans, 
both  of  whom  had  been  with  Baron  Dhanis  when 
the  great  disaster  occurred  of  the  rebellion  of  his  troops. 
They  were  very  much  surprised  to  see  me,  and  won- 
dered wdiere  on  earth  I  had  sprung  from,  and  when  I 
told  them  of  our  battles  with  the  bush  and  cutting 
our  way  through  the  forest,  they  informed  me  that  the 
troubles  were  not  all  over  yet,  and  that  I  had  another 
eight  days  at  least  of  the  same  kind  of  travelling. 
The  great  w^onder  to  them  was,  how  I  was  able  to  do  it 
with  so  small  a  company  of  followers,  and  with  no  escort 
at  all,  and  they  at  once  offered  to  send  men  with  me  if  I 
desired.  I  told  them  that  I  did  not  want  an  escort,  but 
if  they  would  give  me  a  fresh  supply  of  porters  I  should 
be  glad,  so  that  the  men  I  had  brought  with  me  might 
return  to  Mbeni,  as  they  were  more  or  less  tired  out. 
This  they  wiUingly  did,  and  sending  for  the  chief  in- 
structed him  to  find  me  twenty  fresh  men. 

At  this  station  I  parted  with  my  donkey.  Lady  ;  the 
difficulty  of  getting  her  through  the  forest  was  so  great, 
that  when  one  of  the  Europeans  made  me  an  offer  to 
buy  her,  I  readily  accepted  it.  Several  times  she  had  got 
stuck  fast  in  the  bush,  and  once  in  thick  swamp,  when  I 
had  made  up  my  mind  to  shoot  her,  and  was  indeed  pre- 
paring to  do  so,  w^hen  the  poor  creature  made  one  last 
supreme  effort  and  released  herself. 

Leaving  Mawambi  after  a  very  short  rest,  we  crossed 
the  river  Ituri,  and  then  made  our  way  along  its 
banks.    At  first  the  path  was  very  good,  having  been 


320 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


completely  cleared  of  undergrowth  and  of  the  stumps, 
but  we  all  knew  it  w^as  too  good  to  last.  Narrower  and 
narrower  it  became,  and  the  bush  got  thicker  and  thicker, 
and  then  the  path  disappeared  and  only  a  tiny  track 
remained,  and  once  more  we  w^ere  cutting  our  way  along : 
climbing  over  fallen  trees,  struggling  amongst  the  creepers 
that  seemed  ever  and  anon  to  literally  bind  themselves 
around  one,  tripping  over  hidden  stumps,  crawling  under 
reclining  trees,  wading  through  w^ater,  clambering  up  and 
down  steep  river  banks,  and  all  the  time  realising  that  a 
few  dozen  little  people  were  hidden  among  the  branches 
of  the  trees  watching  our  gymnastics,  and  perhaps  laugh- 
ing at  our  carelessness.  Occasionally  one  would  sit 
down,  half  wishing  that  one  had  never  been  born,  to 
pass  through  this  terrible  place.  On  the  way  up  from 
one  of  the  river  banks,  we  had  to  crawl  under  a  huge  tree 
that  had  become  uprooted  and  had  fallen  across  the  track, 
but  was  kept  from  reaching  the  ground  by  another 
smaller  tree.  I  had  just  passed  under  with  two  boys 
when  crash  it  came  down  across  the  track,  a  weight  of 
many  tons ;  a  moment  sooner  and  it  would  have  been  on 
our  heads. 

Sometimes  at  night  we  would  hear  these  forest  giants 
fall  ;  it  was  like  thunder,  and  in  the  stillness  of  the  night 
to  be  suddenly  aroused  by  such  a  crash  made  one  turn 
cold  all  over.  I  expected  every  night  that  one  of  these 
trees  would  fall  across  my  tent.  Why  not?  they  were 
falling  all  around  us.  What  was  to  prevent  their  falling 
upon  us  ?  Once  a  tree  fell  so  close  to  my  little  tent  that 
the  leaves  that  were  dislodged  by  its  fall,  were  scattered 
all  over  the  tent.  In  the  middle  of  one  night  a  huge 
bough  came  down  from  a  tree  and  actually  fell  across  one 
of  the  huts  in  which  some  of  the  porters  were  sleeping, 
and  by  a  miracle  did  not  injure  one  of  them,  although 
one  end  of  the  bough  was  completely  broken. 


IN  DWARF  LAXD. 


321 


The  storms,  that  came  on  nearl}'  always  during  the 
night,  were  accountable  for  these  falling  trees,  otherwise 
it  would  be  difficult  to  discover  why  they  should  have  the 
knack  of  coming  down  just  after  dark.  Perhaps  it  might 
have  been  that  during  the  day,  with  all  the  talking  of 
the  men,  the  noise  of  the  birds,  and  the  chatter  of  the 
monkeys,  we  did  not  hear  them  descending  ;  but  however 
that  may  be,  we  certainly  heard  them  at  the  night 
season,  and  often  dreaded  lest  they  should  demolish 
us. 

One  day  after  leaving  Mawambi  we  met  another  little 
troop  of  Pygmies.  They  were  not  at  all  surprised  to  see 
us  ;  they  said  that  they  knew^  of  our  coming  and  had 
been  told  about  us  by  their  own  people.  I  was  greatly 
surprised  at  this,  and  asked  to  see  the  man  that  had 
spoken  about  us,  and  he  was  brought — the  very  same 
little  chief  who  had  treated  me  so  kindly  before.  He  was 
so  amused  when  I  told  him  of  my  astonishment  at  find- 
ing him  here,  and  he  laughed  most  heartily  and  seemed 
to  thoroughly  enjoy  the  joke.  I  believe  it  was  Dr. 
Moffat  who  once  said  that  whenever  he  found  a  native 
in  Africa  who  could  laugh,  he  had  hope  for  that  man.  A 
native  who  can  see  a  joke  and  enjoy  a  laugh  is  usually  a 
man  who  has  not  lost  heart  and  become  entirely  absorbed 
in  the  problem  of  life,  as  to  how  to  procure  for  himself  a 
sustenance.  And  so  this  little  Pygmy  greatly  enjoyed  the 
simple  joke  of  having  passed  us  in  the  forest  without  our 
having  seen  him,  and  of  being  able  to  tell  us  of  all  our 
experiences  since  he  left  us ;  even  the  places  w^here  we 
camped  he  knew,  and  the  animals  we  shot  en  route  for 
food.  Again  the  little  man  showed  his  good  feeling 
towards  me  by  presenting  me  with  tw^o  bows  and  a 
quiver  full  of  arrows ;  to  some  of  which  the  deadly  poison 
was  still  adhering.  The  arrows  were  of  great  variety,  the 
simplest  being  merely  sharpened  sticks  of  hard  wood, 

22 


322 


/X  nUWRF  LAXD. 


and  tliese  I  found  were  the  poisoned  ones.  Others  were 
made  with  iron  heads  of  different  shapes,  from  the  simple 
leaf  shape  to  the  six-barbed  arrow  ;  one  or  two  I  saw  had 
double  heads,  and  some  had  instead  of  sharp,  rounded 
tips ;  others  had  two  long  barbs,  one  on  either  side, 
botli  at  least  half  an  incli  in  length.  The  poisoned 
arrows  are  no  doubt  used  when  at  war,  while  the  others 
are  reserved  for  the  hunt.  All  had,  instead  of  a  feather, 
a  leaf  fixed  at  the  end  of  the  shaft.  The  quivers  in 
which  they  were  kept  were  made  some  of  antelope  hide, 
and  others  of  monkey  skin. 

In  addition  to  the  arrows,  I  procured  from  the  Pygmies 
a  horn  of  ivory  used  in  the  chase,  a  whistle  made  of 
wood  for  the  same  purpose,  and  two  throwing-spears. 
iVll  these  articles,  made  by  the  Pygmies  themselves,  show 
a  certain  amount  of  skill  and  intelligence.  The  horn,  for 
instance,  is  nicely  carved  out  of  the  solid  tusk  of  an 
elephant,  and  the  spears  are  slightly  ornamented  on  the 
blades. 

I  asked  these  little  people  to  take  me  to  one  of  their  en- 
campments, but  they  said  they  could  not  do  so,  that  the}^ 
never  liked  strangers  to  see  where  they  lived.  However, 
quite  by  chance,  one  day  while  out  hunting  in  the  forest 
with  one  of  my  boys,  I  came  upon  one  of  their  settle- 
ments. It  was  in  a  very  dense  part  of  the  jungle,  and  I 
could  see  at  once  that  it  could  belong  to  no  other  tribe  of 
people  under  the  sun  than  the  Pygmies.  There  were  very 
tiny  little  huts  or  shelters,  varying  from  three  to  four  feet 
in  height,  tliatched  with  giant  leaves  from  the  trees  of  the 
forest  ;  a  ft'w  Ijruken  clay  pots,  evidently  used  for  cook- 
ing purposes ;  and  scattered  about  the  place  in  all 
directions,  were  the  husks  of  a  tree  bean  and  the  stones 
from  the  forest  fruits,  x^part  from  these  few  signs  of 
human  habitation,  there  was  nothing  to  denote  that  here 
the  Pygmies  lived.    I  moved  away  from  this  strange. 


LY  DWARF  LAXD. 


323 


deserted  camp,  feeling  as  if  I  had  reached  a  corner  of 
fairyland. 

I  now  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  some  Pygmy 
women  ;  hitherto  I  had  seen  only  the  men,  but  now,  so 
very  friendly  w^ere  they,  that  they  brought  even  their 
women  to  see  me.  They  were  very  comely  little  creatures 
and  most  attractive,  with  very  light  skins,  lighter  even 
than  the  men,  being  a  light  tan  colour  ;  the  usual  fiat 
nose  and  thick  lips  of  the  negro,  and  black  curly  hair ; 


BISHOP  TUCKER  AND  PYGMY  LADY. 


but  their  eyes  were  of  singular  beauty,  so  bright  and 
quick  and  restless  they  were,  that  not  for  a  second  did 
they  seem  to  fix  their  gaze  on  anything.  They  were 
smaller  than  the  men,  and  would  average  about  8  feet 
10  inches  in  height.  One  of  the  women  had  a  little  child 
fastened  to  her  back  with  a  bit  of  bark  cloth — a  pretty 
little  boy.  I  wanted  to  nurse  him,  but  she  very  quickly 
turned  away  and  took  the  child  from  out  of  my  reach. 
She  was  only  a  Pygmy,  but  she  had  a  mother's  heart  ; 
she  loved  her  babe,  and  feared  lest  I  might  injure  it. 


324 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


One  of  the  Pygmy  women  was  found  at  Mboga  by  Bishop 
Tucker  when  he  visited  the  place  in  1898,  and  she  was 
photographed  by  his  side.  Her  height  was  just  under 
4  feet ;  she  had  weh-developed  hmbs  and  a  bright,  intelH- 
gent  mind.  She  had  Hved  for  some  years  amongst  the 
people  of  Mboga  as  a  slave,  but  seemed  to  be  quite  con- 
tented with  her  lot. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  these  Pygmies  have  their 
religion  ;  it  has  been  said  that  they  have  none,  but  in 
passing  through  the  forest  I  often  found  signs  of  Pygmy 
worship.  At  the  foot  of  some  of  the  huge  trees  I  picked 
up  several  times  little  bundles  of  food  neatly  tied  up  in 
rough  bark  cloth,  sometimes  a  few  forest  beans,  or  a  little 
handful  of  rice.  I  also  saw  little  pots  of  honey  placed  at 
the  foot  of  these  forest  giants.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
Pygmies  venerated  the  spirit  of  the  great  trees  amongst 
which  they  made  their  home.  I  also  found  some  little 
temples  very  neatly  made  that  could  not  have  belonged 
to  any  but  the  Pygmies.  Upon  their  arms  and  round 
their  necks  some  of  them,  especially  the  women,  wore 
charms — little  pieces  of  carved  wood  from  some  sacred 
tree,  or  else  a  leopard's  claw  or  tooth.  The  latter  I 
learned  were  to  ward  off  the  leopards  which  are  roaming 
in  the  forest,  and  with  which  the  Pygmies  constantly 
wage  war;  the  former  to  keep  disease  aw^ay,  especially 
small-pox. 

Arriving  in  camp  one  day  after  a  hard  day's  fight 
with  the  bush,  I  found  that  fever  was  upon  me.  It 
was  5  p.m.  and  pouring  with  rain  ;  my  body  ached  as 
though  every  joint  were  dislocated.  I  flung  myself  upon 
one  of  the  loads  while  the  boys  put  up  the  tent,  and  then 
into  bed  I  tumbled,  and  there  I  stayed  for  two  days.  I 
had  many  apprehensions  as  to  whether  I  should  be  able 
to  move  for  a  month.  My  temperature  was  so  high  the 
first  night  that  I  fear  I  lost  consciousness  for  a  little 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


325 


while.  How  helpless  I  was,  there  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  .  most  solitary  place  on  God's  earth  with,  humanly 
speaking,  none  but  a  few  black  natives  to  look  to.  Never 
was  I  so  thankful  as  then  that  I  had  two  boys  whom  I 
could  implicitly  trust.  Elisa  had  nursed  me  before 
through  fever,  and  knew  exactly  what  to  do,  even  being 
able  to  inject  quinine  hypodermically.  I  did  not  have  to 
tell  him  my  requirements;  he  knew  them  beforehand, 
and  never  was  any  man  better  waited  upon  in  sickness 
than  I  was  in  the  forest.    Night  and  day  he  never  left 


PYGMY  TEMPLES. 


my  side,  while  the  other  boy,  Alberto,  made  soup  from 
the  flesh  of  a  wild  pig  that  was  as  delicious  and  as 
palatable  as  Liebig's  extract  of  beef.  So  well  was  I 
attended  to  that  after  two  days  the  temperature  had  been 
reduced,  and  I  decided,  for  the  sake  of  my  porters,  who 
were  getting  short  of  food,  to  push  on. 

The  next  day's  tramp  was  refreshing  to  me,  and  although 
I  was  very  weak  indeed,  I  managed  to  get  along  with  the 
help  of  a  stick.  We  now  came  to  a  district  where  elephants 
were  more  numerous  than  monkeys,  and  several  times 


326 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


large  herds  passed  close  to  us.  Occasionally  a  huge  rogue 
would  dash  in  amongst  the  porters  and  scatter  them  in 
all  directions.  At  such  times  I  trembled  for  my  "  kit  "  ; 
one  could  not  expect  a  porter  to  keep  his  load  on  his  back 
when  getting  out  the  way  of  an  elephant ;  but  I  did 
fervently  hope  that  the  man  who  was  carrying  my 
photographic  apparatus  woukl  not  throw  the  box  any- 
where near  the  elephant's  ''trotters."  Alas!  the  mere 
dropping  of  it  was  sufficient  to  smash  some  of  the  plates, 
and  in  this  way  I  lost  many  valuable  pictures  that  could 
never  be  reproduced. 

On  the  15th  of  October  we  reached  a  beautiful  place, 
where  there  w^as  a  deserted  settlement  on  the  river- 
side. There  was  a  very  good  house  in  first-rate  order, 
and  although  we  arrived  at  the  place  at  9  a.m.  I  decided 
that  we  would  spend  the  day  there,  and  have  some  hunting 
and  fishing.  I  went  off  into  the  bush  and  hunted  about 
till  past  midday,  and  although  we  saw^  plenty  of  elephants 
there  seemed  to  be  a  scarcity  of  other  kinds  of  animals. 
However,  a  guide  who  had  a  gun,  and  who  had  accom- 
panied me  from  Mawambi,  managed  to  kill  a  wikl  pig, 
and  this  provided  us  with  plenty  of  meat  for  two  days. 

On  the  way  back  to  our  camp  I  had  another  encounter 
with  a  snake.  It  was  lying  right  across  my  path  and  I 
thought  it  was  the  green  branch  of  a  tree,  and  very  nearly 
stepped  over  it,  when  I  saw  its  little  head  turn  round,  and 
its  sparkling  evil  eyes  fix  upon  me.  I  had  in  my  hand  a 
buffalo-hide  stick,  which  I  usually  carried  when  my  boy 
carried  my  gun,  and  with  this  I  hit  it  across  the  head 
and  it  seemed  to  stun  it,  and  then  gave  it  another,  which 
finished  it  off.  It  was  rather  a  large  one,  about  five  feet, 
and  was  a  most  beautiful  bright  green  colour. 

Beaching  camp,  we  went  down  to  the  river  to  try  and 
catch  some  fish,  and  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  how 
easy  it  was  with  a  bent  pin  for  a  hook  and  a  cane  for  a 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


329 


rod  and  without  a  float ;  I  was  able  to  catch  what  provided 
me  with  a  good,  substantial  meal.  After  having  caught 
my  fish,  I  fell  into  the  river  myself.  I  was  trying  to  cross  it, 
walking  along  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree ;  it  was  only  a  small 
one,  and  was  like  walking  the  tight-rope,  and  beneath  me 
was  the  rushing  river  several  feet  deep.  When  I  got  into 
the  middle  my  foot  slipped,  and  in  I  went.  After  floun- 
dering about  a  little  I  reached  the  shore  in  safety  and  then 
retired  for  the  night,  a  little  crestfallen. 

The  next  day  the  guide  who  shot  the  pig  again  showed 
his  prowess.  He  was  some  hundred  yards  ahead  of  us  all, 
when  we  heard  him  fire  a  shot,  then  another  and  another 
and  still  another,  then  all  was  quiet.  We  rushed  up  to 
see  what  had  happened,  and  there  we  found,  a  few  yards 
from  the  path,  an  elephant  stone  dead  and  the  guide 
calmly  cleaning  his  gun,  which  was  of  course  a  breech- 
loader. I  was  very  proud  of  my  guide,  he  was  certainly 
a  very  expert  marksman.  By  nationality  he  was  a 
Wanyema,  and  had  been  trained  for  a  soldier  by  the 
Belgians,  and  had  taken  part  in  several  big  battles.  I 
did  not  wait  while  some  of  the  men  cut  up  the 
meat,  but  pushed  on  to  camp,  as  I  was  tired  after  all 
my  exertion  of  the  day  before. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night,  hearing  a  strange  sound 
close  to  camp,  I  got  up  and  went  out  of  my  tent  to  see 
what  caused  it ;  I  found  that  it  was  only  a  porter  snoring 
in  a  curious  sort  of  way,  but  as  I  turned  to  retrace  my 
steps  the  light  of  my  lantern  fell  upon  an  object  crouching 
down  a  few  yards  from  the  peaceful  sleeper.  In  a  moment 
I  realised  that  it  was  a  panther  ;  the  boy  who  was  with 
me  saw  it  too,  and  cried  out  to  the  porter,  who,  when 
he  awoke,  yelled,  and  I  seized  from  the  fire  a  burning 
faggot  and  flung  it  at  the  beast,  and  it  slunk  off  into  the 
forest  again.  Fires  were  then  banked  up  and  kept  blazing 
the  rest  of  the  night. 


330 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


Then  came  a  miserable  experience.  For  two  whole  days 
we  were  tramping  through  water,  sometimes  to  om^ 
waist,  often  to  the  armpits.  It  was  great  toil  and  seemed 
to  w^ear  one  out.  The  first  day  we  absolutely  could  not 
find  a  dry  place  on  wdiich  to  camp,  everywhere  was  water. 
It  was  evidently  a  flood — there  had  been  an  abnormal  quan- 
tity of  rain  during  the  previous  week.  We  searched  every- 
where until  we  were  tired  of  searching,  and  finally  put  up 
the  tent  in  three  or  four  inches  of  water.  The  boys  climbed 
up  a  tree,  and  then  tried  to  find  a  place  where  they  could 
sleep,  but  dare  not  trust  themselves,  being  afraid  of  falling 
in  the  night.  The  insects  also  that  they  met  with  while 
trymg  the  experiment  helped  them  to  decide  against  it. 
It  was  a  most  miserable  business,  and  I  shall  not  soon 
forget  it.  Fortunately  the  water  w^as  not  deep  enough  to 
reach  my  bed,  but  for  all  that  it  must  have  been  a  most 
unhealthy  position  to  be  in  all  night.  The  poor  boys  had 
to  pile  up  a  lot  of  logs  and  branches  in  the  water  until 
they  were  able  to  make  a  platform  sufficiently  raised  from 
the  water  and  upon  which  they  could  sleep.  My  loads 
also  were  stacked  up  in  a  similar  fashion,  but  not  before 
many  of  them  had  been  completely  submerged,  and 
clothes  and  food  were  ruined. 

At  the  close  of  the  second  day  we  got  free  from  the 
w^ater  and  arrived  at  a  place  called  Pengi,  where  we  found 
a  native  soldier  of  the  Belgians  in  charge,  named  Baruti,  a 
very  fine  fellow,  who  was  extremely  kind  to  me.  He  had 
a  letter  for  me  from  an  officer  who  was  then  at  Avakubi, 
which  is  on  the  confines  of  the  primeval  forest,  the  area 
inhabited  by  the  Pygmies.  This  gentleman  had  most 
kindly  sent  two  canoes  for  me,  which  were  to  take  me 
from  Pengi  to  xVvakubi  by  river,  and  in  his  letter  most 
warmly  greeted  me,  asking  me  to  make  it  convenient  if 
possible  to  stay  a  few  days  with  him  at  Avakubi.  At 
Pengi  I  was  able  to  pay  off  all  my  porters  and  to  send 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


331 


them  back  to  Mawambi  ;  now  110  longer  did  I  need 
porters ;  Joy  to  tell,  the  whole  way  to  dear  old  England 
I  should  not  have  to  walk  another  mile. 

Barnti  was  a  man  of  about  6  feet  3  inches  in  his 
socks,  and  when  I  say  socks  I  mean  it,  for  so  great  a 
swell  was  he  that  he  possessed  both  boots  and  socks.  In 
the  course  of  the  evening  he  came  to  me,  bringing  a  large 


A  kivp:r  peep  in  the  forest. 


native-made  knife  of  most  curious  shape  with  two  or 
three  different  blades.  I  believe  it  is  used  as  a  throwing 
knife  in  the  same  way  as  the  aborigines  of  Australia  use 
the  ''boomerang."  For  this  knife  he  wanted  me  to  give 
him  a  pair  of  stockings.  He  pointed  out  to  me  that 
socks  were  not  quite  the  thing,  evidently  being  intended 
only  for  children.       See,  all  this  part  of  my  leg  has 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


nothing  to  cover  it,"  said  he.  I  gave  him  an  old  pair, 
and  this  deHghted  him  and  he  immediately  donned  them, 
and  began  strutting  about  the  place  as  large  as  life. 

The  next  day's  journey  was  a  most  enjoyable  one  ;  we 
got  into  our  canoes  at  6  a.m.  and  were  paddled  down- 
stream by  a  number  of  natives  who  had  been  brought 
with  the  canoes  from  Avakubi  for  that  purpose.  In  the 
canoe  in  which  I  sat  was  a  nice  awning  made  to  keep  off 
the  sun's  hot  rays,  and  my  hammock  chair  was  put 
beneath  this,  and  one  could  recline  or  sit  up  at  leisure. 
The  change  of  motion  was  a  little  difficult  to  get  used  to, 
and  the  strong  light  on  the  river,  after  the  many  days  in 
the  forest  shades,  made  the  first  few  days  by  water  rather 
trying,  and  I  consequently  suffered  from  headache.  We  had 
not  long  been  in  the  boat  before  we  came  to  some  rapids. 
The  men  called  them  small  ones,  but  I  certainly  thought 
them  very  terrible  and  wondered  what  they  would  have 
been  like  had  they  been  worse.  The  boat  seemed  to  spin 
through  the  water,  and  was  tossed  about  by  the  current 
at  will  and  yet  at  the  same  time  the  men  were  most 
skilfully  guiding  the  tiny  craft  between  hidden  rocks.  In 
less  than  ten  minutes  we  were  again  in  smooth  water. 

At  midday  we  put  into  the  shore  and  cooked  some  food, 
then  on  again  for  another  two  hours.  It  was  most 
exhilarating  to  be  passing  through  the  air  at  such  a 
speed.  The  boatmen  who  stood  up  to  paddle  were 
dwellers  on  the  banks  of  the  Aruwimi  river  and  were  able 
with  but  little  exertion  to  make  the  boat  go  along  at  a 
good  seven  miles  an  hour  aided  as  they  were  by  the 
current.  The  river  Aruwimi,  had  a  fall  of  no  less  than 
750  feet  from  Mawambi  to  Avakubi ;  no  wonder,  therefore, 
that  we  found  the  current  strong. 

"We  camped  again  on  the  bank,  at  a  little  settlement 
where  Belgian  soldiers  were  in  charge ;  a  nice  little 
cottage  built  on  the  river-side  was  pointed  out  to  me 


IN  DWARF  LAX  I). 


353 


as  the  house  in  which  the  European  might  sleep.  Here 
I  spent  the  night. 

We  had  hoped  to  reach  Avakubi  the  next  day,  but  a 
chapter  of  accidents  occurred  which  made  it  impossible. 
^Ve  left  at  6  a.m.,  and  after  shooting  some  more  rapids 
we  came  to  a  station  where  there  was  a  native  soldier 
in  charge.  Here  I  was  told  there  was  rather  a  bad 
rapid,  and  that  it  would  be  best  for  me  to  get  out  and 
take  out  all  my  things,  that  the  boat  might  go  over 
alone  with  the  men.  I  was  half  inclined  to  remain  in 
the  canoe,  as  it  did  not  seem  necessar}^  to  take  every- 
thing out  ;  however,  the  boatmen  pleaded  so  hard  that  I 
consented,  and  glad  I  am  that  I  did  so.  Xo  sooner  had 
the  boat  started  with  three  men  on  board,  to  guide  her 
through  the  rapids,  than  she  was  caught  up  by  the 
current  and  dashed  about  in  a  terrible  fashion.  The 
boatmen  held  on  for  dear  life,  and  did  their  best  to 
keep  her  in  the  proper  course,  but  about  halfway  through 
the  boat  turned  broadside  on  to  the  stream,  and  the 
next  moment  was  sent  with  tremendous  force  into  a 
rock,  and  smash  it  went  into  two  pieces.  The  three 
poor  fellows  were  of  course  whirled  about  in  the  stream 
and  soon  lost  to  view,  and  we  gave  up  hope  of 
seeing  them  agam.  I  sent  the  other  boat  out  to  look 
for  them  below  the  rapids,  and  ran  along  the  bank 
myself  to  try  and  find  them.  One  was  seen  hanging 
on  to  the  rocks  near  the  shore  and  was  rescued  first, 
the  other  two  were  eventually  rescued,  having  been 
swept  down  the  river  some  long  distance.  One,  how- 
ever, was  senseless  and  half  drowned,  but  after  trying 
all  sorts  of  methods  to  restore  him  he  came  round  and 
was  soon  all  right  again,  and  scarcely  any  the  worse 
for  his  very  severe  ducking. 

We  procured  another  canoe,  and  again  started  off. 
but  the  rain  came  down  in  such  floods  that  we  "were 


334 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


glad  enough  to  put  up  in  a  little  deserted  village,  where 
there  was  a  miserable  hut,  into  which  I  went  for  the 
night.  All  my  things  were  wet,  including  blankets, 
bed,  and  clothes ;  the  hut  was  full  of  vermin,  and  all 
sorts  of  other  unmentionable  horrors.  Eats  were  every- 
where, and  had  not  the  common  decency  to  keep  off 
one's  bed.  There  was  no  firewood,  so  the  porters  told 
me,  everything  was  wet,  no  chance  even  of  getting  a 
cup  of  tea.  There  seemed  to  be  nobody  about,  the 
whole  place  was  desolate.  Everj^body  got  angry  with 
everybody  else,  nothing  seemed  to  go  right. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night,  while  trying  vainly  to 
sleep,  a  rat  actually  got  on  to  my  pillow,  and  squealed 
close  to  my  ear.  I  made  a  dash  at  him,  and  missed 
him  of  course  ;  he  had  got  under  my  mosquito  netting 
and  could  not  get  out.  I  chased  him  all  round  the  bed, 
now^  and  then  I  would  just  feel  him,  but  I  could  not 
catch  the  little  tease.  I  got  desperate,  and  jumped  out 
of  bed  to  be  immediately  seized  by  millions  of  the  most 
bloodthirsty  little  mosquitoes  I  ever  encountered.  I 
struck  a  light  ;  there  was  the  rat  calmly  sitting  on  my 
blanket,  evidently  quite  content  since  it  had  been  success- 
ful in  turning  me  out  of  bed.  I  charged  down  upon 
that  rat  in  such  a  way  that  I  am  sure  if  he  had  had 
a  little  more  sense  it  would  have  had  the  effect  of  causing 
him  to  escape.  Not  he  !  I  never  saw  such  impudence! 
But  I  doubt  if  he  will  be  so  naughty  again,  for  a  boot 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  him. 

Worried  to  death  with  mosquitoes  that  seemed  to  get 
more  determined  every  moment,  I  again  rolled  myself 
up  in  my  blankets  ;  but  not  for  long — a  gale  of  wind, 
a  crash,  and  the  rain  came  pattering  down  upon 
me  ;  half  the  roof  had  gone,  and  there  I  lay,  exposed 
to  all  the  fury  of  the  storm.  At  first  I  made  up  my 
mind  I  would  not  move,  but  it  became  too  awful,  and 


/.V  DJVARF  LAND. 


335 


once  more  I  dragged  myself  out  of  bed,  and  put  the  bed 
on  the  other  side  of  the  room,  and  then,  worn  out  with 
the  troubles  of  this  wicked  world,  I  went  to  sleep. 

No  wonder  I  was  a  bit  stiff  the  next  day  ;  we  could 
not  get  away  till  9  a.m.,  and  by  that  time,  owing  to 
the  great  heat  of  the  sun,  most  of  my  things  were  dry. 
It  was  then  only  about  three  hours  to  Avakubi,  and  right 
glad  we  were  to  get  there. 


CHAPTEK  XVII 


AVAKUBI   TO  BASOKO 

Houses — Gardens — Coffee — Rubber — Ivory — Another  start — A  struggle  for 
dear  life — A  great  loss — Cannibals  of  the  Upper  Aruwimi — An  anxious 
night — Another  canoe  swamped — Among  the  cannibals — Their  dress 
— Their  habits — The  kola  nut — Iron  work — Panga  Falls — Our  warrior 
boatmen — We  make  rapid  progress — "The  European  is  coming" — 
Bangwa  weapons — Choosing  a  tender  spot — Mukopi — Gymnastics  in 
the  forest — A  cannibal  dance — Mupe — Cannibals  and  the  bicycle — 
Banalya — A  headstrong  Belgian — I  visit  the  cannibal  chief — An  eye 
opener — What  it  will  lead  to — Basoko. 

I WAS  very  heartily  welcomed  by  the  Belgian  officer 
in  charge,  and  throughout  niy  stay  was  most  kindly 
treated. 

Avakubi  is  a  beautiful  place,  quite  an  ideal  station. 
Fine,  lofty  buildings  constructed  of  good  sun-burnt  bricks, 
and  the  whole  place  was  most  compactly  arranged.  The 
Europeans'  houses,  built  four  square,  with  an  open 
quadrangle  in  the  centre,  and  a  high  brick  wall  sur- 
rounding the  back  part,  which  contained  the  servants' 
quarters  and  outhouses.  The  doors  and  window-frames 
were  made  of  well-planed  wood,  so  very  different  from 
the  reed  work  that  we  are  so  accustomed  to  in  Uganda. 

I  was  shown  into  a  room  where  I  was  told  I  might 
sleep,  and  I  was  asked  to  stay  for  as  many  days  as  I 
possibly  could.  There  was  indeed  a  great  temptation 
to  make  a  long  stay  here,  where  everything  seemed  so 

336 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


337 


nice  and  homelike  after  the  roughness  of  camp  hfe.  A 
very  luxurious  meal  was  prepared,  and  the  hungry 
traveller  did  ample  justice  to  it.  I  was  then  shown 
round  the  grounds.  The  gardens  at  once  took  my  fancy, 
for  here  not  only  was  there  every  kind  of  European 
vegetable,  but  also  the  most  beautiful  flower-beds, 
arranged  with  great  taste,  and  which  cast  a  brilliance 
upon  the  scene  that  is  lacking  in  most  Mission  gardens. 
This  garden  was  no  doubt  the  hobby  most  indulged  in 
by  the  officer  in  charge,  and  a  very  useful  one  too. 
When  in  Central  Africa  one  can  get  fine  English 
potatoes,  pineapples,  mangoes,  and  grapes,  besides  a  host 
of  other  things  equally  tempting,  there  is  not  much  left 
for  one  to  desire  to  make  life  pleasant.  The  greatest  care 
had  been  taken  to  shield  the  products  of  the  soil  from 
the  heavy  rains,  without  shutting  out  the  morning  and 
evening  sun. 

Coffee,  also,  was  growing  everywhere,  although,  as 
my  friend  told  me,  it  did  not  come  to  much  perfection 
on  account  of  a  strange  worm  which  seemed  to  take 
up  its  quarters  in  every  berry.  The  production  of  coffee 
is  of  great  importance  to  each  officer  of  the  Congo  Free 
State.  It  is  to  his  advantage  to  have  as  many  coffee- 
plants  as  possible,  because  for  every  plant  over  a  given 
height  he  is  paid  a  certain  sum,  which,  when  he  has  a 
few  thousands,  makes  a  very  considerable  addition  to  his 
income.  This  applies  also  to  cocoa.  The  coffee  when 
ripe  and  ready  for  picking  is  packed  up  in  sacks,  and 
sent  down  the  river  to  Leopoldville,  and  for  every  pound 
weight  a  percentage  is  given ;  this  also  applies  to  rubber 
and  ivory.  And  it  is  here,  it  seems  to  me,  that  the  evils 
of  native  oppression  come  in.  The  officer,  whose  salary 
fluctuates  according  to  the  amount  of  coffee,  ivory,  and 
rubber  produced,  is  naturally  very  keen  to  get  the  natives 
to  work  with  might  and  main  on  the  coffee  plantations, 

23 


338 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


and  in  the  forest  to  procure  rubber  and  ivory.  These 
he  must  and  will  have  at  almost  any  cost. 

A  young  sergeant,  for  instance,  goes  out  from  Europe 
to  the  Congo,  and  is  immediately  put  into  a  responsible 
post,  with  a  few  thousand  black  men  at  his  beck  and 
call ;  he  very  soon  finds  that  the  ordinary  African  is 
afraid  of  the  European,  and  will  do  almost  anything 
rather  than  incur  his  displeasure,  and  the  European 
discovers  that  by  bringing  a  little  pressure  to  bear, 
occasionally,  he  is  able  to  get  a  little  more  out  of  the 
''nigger."  But  there  is  a  ''thus  far"  even  with  the 
poor  ill-used  black  man,  and  if  pressed  beyond  that  he 
turns  ;  and  what  wonder  that  in  an  unexpected  moment 
he  wreaks  his  vengeance  upon  his  oppressor.  Alas  !  not 
before  he  has  himself  suffered  most  bitterly. 

A  chief  of  a  district,  wdiere  some  European  officer  of 
the  Congo  Free  State  is  stationed,  is  called  up  by  the 
officer  and  told  to  send  his  people  out  for  rubber,  so  many 
pounds'  weight  are  required,  and  must  be  brought  in. 
The  chief  perhaps  has  but  a  small  following,  and  cannot 
produce  wdiat  is  asked  of  him  ;  he  is  given  another 
chance  to  get  it,  and  again  fails,  and  he  must  be 
punished.  A  native  officer  is  instructed  to  take  a  number 
of  soldiers  and  destroy  the  chief's  village.  Then  follows 
the  most  bloodthirsty  wickedness  that  is  anywhere  re- 
corded ;  men,  women,  and  children  ruthlessly  murdered, 
and  the  whole  place  destroyed.  Such  cases  as  the  above 
are  now,  thank  God,  less  frequent,  and  one  hopes  that 
they  will  ere  long  be  entirely  unknown.  A  la.rge  number 
of  the  Belgian  ofiicers  whom  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing at  the  various  stations  were  thoroughly  good  fel- 
lows, and  quite  incapable  of  instigating  such  bloodshed 
as  mentioned  above,  but  there  are  men,  and  not  a  few, 
still  holding  positions  of  trust  nnd  of  great  responsi- 
bility whose  actions  are  a  standing  disgrace  to  a  white 


IN  DW^ARF  LAND. 


339 


man,  and  that  make  the  white  man  a  veritable  demon 
in  the  eyes  of  the  natives. 

Ivory  is  in  great  abundance  on  the  Arnwimi,  and  its 
vahie  is  httle  known  to  the  natives  ;  they  wiU  kiU  the 
elephants  for  the  sake  of  the  meat,  but  the  ivory  is  often 
left  in  the  forest.  The  Belgian  officer  therefore  gives 
instructions  that  all  ivory  is  to  be  brought  to  him,  and  he 
will  buy  it  with  brass  wire.  The  ivory  appears  to  be  quite 
a  different  quality  from  that  which  is  procured  m  the 


BELGIAN  OFFICER,  AVAKUBI. 


more  open  country.  Forest  ivory  can  nearly  always  be 
distinguished  by  its  dark  colour,  wdiile  the  ivory  obtained 
from  the  elephants  that  roam  about  the  plains  is  quite 
white  and  of  greater  commercial  value.  In  the  earlier 
days  the  Manyema  were  the  great  ivory  hunters  of  the 
Aruwimi,  and  still  are  to  be  found  there,  but  usually 
working  in  conjunction  with  the  officers  of  some  Belgian 
outpost.  These  men  sometimes  shoot  and  sometimes 
trap  the  elephants  with  pits,  or  heavily  weighted  spears 
suspended  above  the  track,  and  which  fall  when  the 


340 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


elephant  knocks  a  creeper  with  its  foot,  to  which  the 
spears  are  attached. 

I  saw  several  tons  of  ivory  lying  at  the  various  Bel- 
gian stations  on  the  Arnwimi  and  Congo,  waiting  to  be 
taken  down  to  the  coast. 

At  Avakubi  were  stationed  about  two  companies  of 
soldiers,  comprising  all  kinds  of  nationahties,  chiefly 
Manyema  and  Bangala.  They  were  a  very  fine  set  of 
men,  who  were  well  equipped,  and  whose  houses  were  of 


i 

li  :  ^  :  J 

HOUSES,  AVAKUBI. 

quite  a  model  character.  They  were  fine  mud  buildings, 
in  long  rows,  each  house  occupied  by  about  five  men, 
excepting  the  native  officers,  each  of  whom  has  one  to 
himself.  The  whole  place,  however,  is  but  a  clearing  in 
the  forest,  and  one  only  has  to  walk  for  about  ten  minutes 
to  get  right  into  the  forest  again.  There  exists  excellent 
communication  between  Avakubi  and  the  lower  Aruwimi, 
as  the  whole  distance  can  be  traversed  by  canoe,  and  with 
good  boatmen  it  should  only  take  twelve  days  to  reach 
Basoko,  which  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  Aruwimi,  or  rather 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


341 


at  its  confluence  with  the  Congo.  The  return  journey 
takes  much  longer  on  account  of  the  current,  usually 
about  twenty-two  days,  but  in  low  water  it  can  be  done 
in  less  time.  At  Avakubi  my  aneroid  registered  an  alti- 
tude of  1,800  feet,  and  at  Basoko,  1,350  feet;  the  fall 
therefore  was  about  450  feet  in  about  320  miles. 

There  are  no  cows  at  Avakubi,  or  rather  I  should  say 
there  is  one,  a  bull,  but  it  seems  to  be  kept  more  for  orna- 
ment than  use.    There  was  a  good  flock  of  sheep  and 


BUYING  IVORY  FROM  THE  CANNIBALS. 


goats  attached  to  the  station,  and  these  supply  the 
Europeans  with  butter  and  milk,  as  well  as  occasionally 
a  little  meat. 

I  stayed  there  two  days,  enjoying  the  kind  hospi- 
tality and  the  benefits  of  a  rest,  to  straighten  up  my 
things  and  to  dry  my  wet  clothes.  As  there  are  some 
strong  rapids  a  little  below  the  station  I  walked  for  about 
half  an  hour  before  embarking  again  in  the  canoe  that 
had  been  prepared  for  me  through  the  kindness  of  the 
officer  in  charge ;  but  a  disagreeable  experience  aw^aited 


342 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


me.  The  boats  were  moored  in  a  place  just  below  the 
rapids,  where  the  current  was  still  very  strong.  I  packed 
all  my  boxes  into  the  canoe  and  then  got  in  myself.  As 
is  usual,  a  large  awning  had  been  put  up  for  my  comfort, 
and  under  this  was  my  deck  chair.  I  got  in  as  soon  as 
all  was  finished,  and  waited  for  the  boatmen  to  do  the 
same,  but  they  had  still  a  great  deal  to  do  in  gathering 
together  food,  &c.,  that  they  w^ould  require  for  the  journe}^, 
and  in  the  meantime  I  went  off  to  sleep  in  my  chair. 

My  next  sensation  was  an  alarming  one ;  it  was  that  of 
being  pitched  over  to  one  side  and  then  more  forcibly  still  to 
the  other  and  right  into  the  water,  the  boat  turning  upside 
down.  Being  underneath  the  awning  I  was  entrapped 
like  a  rat  in  a  cage,  and  could  not  get  my  freedom.  I 
thought  my  last  moments  had  come,  the  water  rushed 
into  my  head,  for  I  was  completely  submerged,  and  it  was 
not  until  I  had  had  a  very  severe  ducking,  and  the  boat 
had  been  sw^ept  along  for  some  considerable  distance,  that 
at  last  I  got  free  from  it,  and  with  my  fast  failing  strength 
struck  out  for  the  shore.  The  boy  who  w^as  in  the  canoe 
with  me  was  still  hanging  on  to  the  upturned  boat,  and 
the  men,  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  boat  upsetting,  jumped 
out,  and  were  soon  safely  on  the  bank.  I  had  on  large 
Wellington  boots,  which  of  course  soon  filled  with 
water,  and  in  addition  to  the  weight  of  my  other  clothing 
it  was  as  much  as  ever  I  could  do  to  get  to  the  bank. 
When  I  finally  reached  shallow  water  I  turned  round 
and  saw  the  boy  still  clinging  on  to  the  boat,  while  the 
current  was  rapidly  taking  him  down-stream.  After  re- 
covering my  breath  a  little  I  ran  along  the  shore  to 
w^here  there  was  a  horseshoe  bend  in  the  river,  and  then 
jumped  in  and  struck  out  for  the  boat  and  managed 
to  catch  hold  of  a  rope  that  was  hanging  from  it,  and 
by  this  I  pulled  it  in  to  shore  once  more.  How  I  was 
able  to  do  all  this  I  cannot  tell,  I  only  know  that  when 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


343 


I  had  finished  I  was  completely  knocked  up,  and  sat 
down  upon  the  bank  in  an  utterly  exhausted  condi- 
tion. The  boxes  that  were  in  the  boat  were,  of  course, 
precipitated  into  the  water,  but  only  one  was  lost.  The 
others  were  all  filled  with  water,  and  many  valuable 
things  were  utterly  ruined,  chief  amongst  these  were 
my  photographic  plates.  At  least  four  dozen  unexposed 
negatives  were  spoilt,  and  two  dozen  exposed  ones.  The 
latter  were  of  even  greater  loss  to  me  than  the  former,  for 


CANOEING  ON  ARUWIMI, 


there  were  plates  among  them  that  could  never  be  re- 
placed. I  had  always  been  so  careful  to  try  and  get  good 
results,  and  photos  that  would  be  of  real  interest ;  some 
that  I  took  in  the  forest  were  especially  valuable  to  me, 
and  to  lose  all  in  one  day  was  almost  heartbreaking.  It 
might  have  been  much  worse,  however,  for  another 
moment  under  water  and  I  should  have  lost  consciousness 
and  been  drowned,  but  thank  God  He  once  more  merci- 
fully preserved  my  life,  and  indeed  the  lives  of  all  of  us, 
for  we  all  had  a  very  narrow  escape. 


344 


IN  DWARF  LA  AW. 


We  righted  the  canoe  and  cut  down  the  covering  so 
kindly  put  up  for  my  comfort,  and  which  had  so  nearly 
cost  me  my  hfe,  for  it  was  undoubtedly  the  cause  of  the 
upset,  and  once  more  packed  in  the  boxes,  and  tried 
again  ;  and  this  time  we  were  more  successful. 

We  reached  a  large  village  called  Bazibangi  about 
three  in  the  afternoon.  It  was  here  that  we  met 
with  the  first  real  cannibals  of  the  Upper  Aruwimi. 


PASSING  THE0UC4H  CANNIBAL  LAND. 


I  was  not  at  all  charmed  with  their  personal  appear- 
ance ;  dirty  and  degraded  they  seemed  to  be,  and  some 
of  their  evil  liabits  which  I  witnessed  were  too  awful  to 
mention.  They  were  almost  nude,  both  men  and  women. 
They  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  remnants  of  various  tribes. 
Manyema  w^ere  again  to  the  front,  and  the  chief  himself 
claimed  to  be  of  that  nationality,  but  had  undoubtedly 
been  placed  there  by  the  Belgians,  and  was  not  the  real 
chief  of  the  country.    Numbers  of  the  villages  round 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


345 


about  were  utterly  deserted,  the  inhabitants,  I  was  told, 
having  gone  further  inland  so  as  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of 
the  Europeans,  that  they  might  carry  on  their  cannibalism 
unchecked.  The  old  chief  gave  us  plenty  of  food,  and  was 
kind  enough  to  turn  out  of  his  house  to  make  room  for 
me.  It  was  a  nice  clean  little  cottage  overlooking  the 
river.  The  whole  of  that  night  I  spent  trying  to  dry  my 
photographic  plates,  spreading  them  about  the  floor  in  all 
directions,  upon  old  newspapers,  and  even  upon  my  bed, 
sitting  myself  in  my  chair,  waiting  and  waiting  for  the 
films  to  dry ;  but  it  was  a  hopeless  task,  and  the  rats 
were  a  great  nuisance  running  over  the  plates  as  they 
gambolled  with  each  other.  I  was  glad  enough  when 
morning  came  and  I  could  pack  away  all  that  were  dry,  a 
very  small  percentage. 

The  following  day  we  had  another  river  mishap ; 
fortunately  I  was  not  in  it  myself  this  time.  We  had 
arrived  at  some  more  rapids  and  the  men  told  me  to 
get  out  and  take  out  all  the  boxes,  d^c.  ;  this  we  did, 
and  then  the  canoes  went  down  the  rapids  with  two 
men  in  each.  Two  got  through  all  right,  but  the  third 
was  swamped  in  the  middle  and  over  it  went,  but 
the  men  did  not  seem  to  mind  at  all ;  both  were  expert 
swimmers  and  quickly  reached  the  shore  and  then  set  off 
after  the  overturned  boat  in  a  small  canoe.  Soon  after 
this  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents  and  we  had  to  camp. 

The  next  few  days  we  passed  through  the  wildest 
cannibal  country  to  be  found  anywhere,  and  every  day  we 
saw  dozens  of  villages  inhabited  by  the  Bangwa.  They 
are  a  splendid  race  of  people ;  I  was  very  much  taken  with 
them.  I  have  seldom  seen  such  physical  development 
and  such  symmetry  of  figure  ;  they  are  upright  as  a  dart, 
with  heads  erect,  and  bright,  intelligent  faces.  These 
men  came  up  to  me  with  the  greatest  confidence — not  as 
the  cringing  savage  who  will  grovel  at  your  feet  before 


346 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


your  face,  and  put  a  spear  into  you  when  your  back  is 
turned.  The  cannibal  was  straightforward  and  brave,  and 
his  character  could  be  read  in  his  actions  and  bearing,  and 
one  could  see  at  once  that  here  were  the  materials  for 
the  making  of  a  fine  race  of  people.  And  yet  they  were 
the  most  advanced  cannibals,  who  lived  on  human  flesh. 
The  men  all  wore  a  bark  cloth  about  their  loins,  not 
w^ound  round  the  body,  but  fastened  back  and  front 
with  a  hide  strap,  or  a  cord  of  plaited  grass.  The  chiefs 
all  wore  a  belt  of  hippopotamus  hide,  studded  at  the 
ends  with  brass  nails,  and  into  this  were  fixed  their 
terrible  knives  ;  upon  the  ankles  they  w^ore  solid  iron 
rings,  some  weighing  2  lbs.  each  ;  these  were  also  worn 
upon  the  wrists.  In  addition  to  these  they  all  seemed  to 
wear  leg  ornaments,  half-way  up  the  calf,  of  bright  spiral 
iron  wire,  shaped  to  the  leg,  and  the  same  thing  on  a 
smaller  scale  upon  the  arms.  A  ring  or  two  of  beads 
round  the  neck  and  a  curiously  shaped  headdress  com- 
pleted the  most  ornamental  attire  of  the  Bangwa  warrior. 
The  headdresses  were  of  various  kinds,  those  made  of 
monkey-skin  predominating  ;  the  fur  being  worn  on  the 
outside.  Others  were  of  prepared  hide  with  the  fur 
removed,  and  some  were  made  of  a  kind  of  straw  worked 
into  most  fantastic  shapes.  Others  are  made  with  the 
bright  plumage  of  birds.  The  warrior,  when  dressed 
for  evening,  is  a  most  obnoxious  being,  having  smothered 
himself  from  head  to  foot,  particularly  on  the  head,  with 
palm  oil.  He  smears  a  kind  of  red  paint  over  his  face  and 
chest  and  looks  a  most  hideous  character.  His  hair  is 
long,  for  it  is  never  shaved,  and  either  hangs  in  a 
tangled  mass  or  is  fixed  up  in  a  kind  of  leather  nightcap, 
tied  under  his  chin  with  leather  thongs.  His  cannibalism 
is  most  pronounced,  and,  unlike  many  others,  he  does  not 
seem  to  mind  being  know^n  as  a  cannibal ;  generally 
speaking,  he  devours  the  bodies  of  his  enemies,  but  a 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


347 


woman  is  seldom,  if  ever,  eaten  by  the  Bangwa.  The 
women,  however,  join  in  the  feast,  not  sitting  with  the 
men,  but  in  a  separate  group  by  themselves. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  say  whether  the  cannibalism 
of  the  Bangwa  is  practised  merely  from  pleasure  or 
from  some  superstitious  idea  about  the  strength  of 
the  enemy  entering  into  themselves.  As  far  as  I 
could  make  out  this  latter  is  the  more  general  belief. 
It  is  for  the  same  reason  that  some  tribes  of  Eastern 


A  BANGWA  VILLAGE. 


Africa  will  eat  the  liver  of  a  dead  leopard  that  they 
may  imbibe  its  strength — as  the  Bangwa  warrior  devours 
his  enemy.  On  several  occasions  I  saw  them  engaging 
in  their  feasts,  and  most  ghastly  were  the  sights, 
too  horrible  indeed  to  mention.  Sometimes  one  would 
see  part  of  a  limb  roasting  over  the  fire,  or  else  in  a  cook- 
ing pot,  boiling,  while  the  warriors  sit  round  watching 
eagerly  until  it  was  cooked.  But  still,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  of  there  being  a  superstitious  idea  in  connection  with 
this  cannibalism,  there  is  no  doubt  a  depraved  appetite.  I 


348 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


have  seen  the  wild,  exciting  feast,  where  spirit  dances  and 
invocations  have  heen  the  principal  items,  and  I  have 
seen  the  warriors  in  all  soberness  sit  down  to  a  "joint  of 
man  "  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  they  would  do  to  a 
piece  of  forest  antelope.  Once,  when  told  by  a  European 
that  the  practice  of  eating  human  flesh  w^as  a  most 
degraded  habit,  the  cannibal  answ^ered,  "  Why  degraded? 
you  people  eat  sheep  and  cows  and  fowls,  w^hich  are  all 
animals  of  a  far  lower  order,  and  we  eat  man,  who  is 
great  and  above  all,  it  is  you  w^ho  are  degraded  !  "  Thus 
will  the  cannibal  defend  the  practice. 

Another  usual  accompaniment  to  the  feast  of  the 
Bangwa  is  the  drinking  of  a  concoction  of  the  kola 
nut.  The  nut,  being  dried,  is  pounded  up  to  pow^der 
and  mixed  with  a  pot  of  palm  wine  and  then  boiled 
upon  the  fire  for  some  hours ;  more  wdne  is  then 
added  to  the  other  ingredients  until  a  very  strong  con- 
coction is  made.  Then  when  cool  the  chief  and  his 
head-men,  or  any  others  who  may  be  asked,  will  sit 
round  the  pot  with  long  hollow  reeds  in  their  hands,  and 
with  these  they  suck  up  the  terrible  poison. 

I  have  several  times  sat  by  them  as  they  indulged  in 
this  dangerous  practice,  and  watched  the  effects  of  the 
drug.  First  a  kind  of  hilarity  comes  over  them,  and  this 
in  time  gives  place  to  h3^sterical  laughing,  and  their 
eyes  seem  to  stand  out  from  their  heads,  and  utter 
wildness  is  stamped  upon  their  faces  ;  gradually  the  effect 
becomes  so  great  as  to  cause  temporary  madness,  and 
they  will  jump  up  and  down,  waving  their  awful  knives 
above  their  heads,  and  then  they  rush  off  into  the  w^ood 
thirsting  for  human  blood.  I  was  told  that  wdien  the 
Bangwa  want  to  go  on  some  raiding  expedition  they 
first  have  a  great  revel  round  the  kola-nut  pot,  and 
when  worked  up  into  a  state  of  frenzy,  they  rush  off 
to  attack  their  foes  in  order  that  the}^  may  afterwards 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


349 


drink  their  blood,  should  they  be  victorious.  The  women 
are  not  allowed  to  drink  this  poison,  it  being  reserved 
for  the  warriors  only. 

Another  custom  that  has  to  do  with  the  kola-nut 
drinking  is  as  follows :  When  a  man  has  lost  his  wife, 
either  by  death,  or  his  enemies  having  stolen  her,  and 
when  he  wishes  to  obtain  another,  if  he  drinks  the  kola- 
nut  concoction  night  after  night  it  is  supposed  to  bring 


BAXGWA  SVAERIOR  CHIEFS. 

him  good  luck  in  seeking  another  wife.  It  is  a  fact  I 
believe  that  many  of  the  men  succumb  to  the  influence 
of  this  drink. 

As  iron- workers  the  Bangwa  are  among  the  foremost 
of  all  Africans.  Their  spears,  knives,  and  ornaments 
surpass  any  I  have  ever  seen ;  their  spears  are  of  two 
kinds,  the  long  lance  and  the  short  throwing-spear. 

The  lance  is,  of  course,  used  at  close  quarters  or  when 


350 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


repulsing  a  charge  by  the  enemy ;  they  will  hide  them- 
selves in  the  grass  or  undergrowth,  with  their  long  lances 
fixed  in  a  slanting  position  and  upon  which  their  foes 
rush.  The  thro  wing-spears  are  beautifully  made,  being 
in  shape  quite  a  work  of  art.  At  the  end  of  the  shaft, 
which  is  ornamented  in  various  ways,  with  copper  and 
brass  bands,  is  a  long  iron  ferrule,  hectagonal  in  shape, 
and  tapering  down  to  a  fine  point ;  this  end  is  used  for 
spearing  the  women  and  children ;  they  are  not  considered 
worthy  to  be  killed  with  the  same  blade  as  the  men/''' 
Their  knives  are  of  great  variety  ;  I  collected  and  brought 
home  with  me  about  thirty  of  them,  and  all  are  different  ; 
most  of  them  are  double  edged,  with  a  dagger-like  point 
at  the  extremity.  Some  are  longer  than  others,  and  one 
particular  kind  is  much  like  a  sickle  :  this  is  the  execution 
knife,  with  one  cut  of  which  they  will  decapitate  an  unfor- 
tunate victim  for  the  feast,  tying  his  neck  to  the  bough 
of  a  tree  which  has  been  bent  dow^n  for  the  purpose,  and 
which,  when  the  head  has  been  severed  from  the  body, 
springs  back  into  its  original  position,  pitching  the  head 
into  the  air.  This  is  the  method  adopted  for  decapitating 
the  prisoners  of  w^ar,  and  a  more  ghastly  spectacle  could 
not  possibly  be  seen  anywhere.  All  the  knives  have 
various  geometrical  designs  upon  them,  which  show  that 
the  Bangwa,  although  cannibals,  are  by  no  means  lacking 
in  capabilities  for  better  things.  The  iron  for  making 
these  knives,  &c.,  is  procured  from  the  iron  ore  found  in 
the  forest ;  they  smelt  it  and  forge  it  themselves,  and  with 
the  most  primitive  tools  turn  out  most  excellent  work. 

At  Panga,  on  account  of  the  very  heavy  fall  of  about 
30  feet,  we  had  to  change  canoes  and  boatmen,  and  I 
was  able  to  get  a  large  company  of  the  Bangwa  to 
accompany  me  in  the  capacity  of  rowers.    It  was  rather 

*  This  is  a  custom  which  is  also  observed  by  the  Wagaiida,  and  many 
other  African  tribes. 


IN  nU'ARF  LAND. 


353 


a  new  experience,  to  be  spinning  along  down-stream 
w^ith  a  boat-load  of  the  wildest  cannibals,  and  to  be 
completely  at  their  mercy.  I  tried  to  show  them  that  I 
trusted  them  implicitl}'  to  help  me  in  every  way.  I 
chatted  to  them  as  best  I  could  by  interpretation,  using 
doggerel  Kiswahili,  and  made  all  sorts  of  fun  to  please 
them  and  gain  their  confidence ;  and  I  confess  that  a 
jollier  set  of  black  men  I  never  in  all  my  life  had  to  do 
with  ;  they  were  brimful  of  fun,  and  entered  most  heartily 
into  all  my  jokes. 

My  English  concertina,  my  dog  Sally,  camera,  and 
binoculars,  to  say  nothing  of  my  bicycle,  all  tended  to 
create  the  most  hearty  feelings  of  good  fellowship  possible. 
With  such  stalwart  fellows  as  these  to  run  the  boat 
we  simply  sped  along  at  a  tremendous  pace,  and  the 
banks  seemed  to  whirl  past  us,  and  village  after  village, 
with  crowds  of  its  inhabitants  eagerly  watching  us  from 
the  shore,  was  passed  in  the  few  days  between  Avakubi 
and  Basoko.  The  houses  of  the  Bangwa  are  curiously 
built,  being  cone-shaped.  They  are  not  more  than  10 
feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  but  are  at  least  15  to  20  feet 
high ;  they  are  thatched  with  leaves  from  the  forest  and 
give  the  general  appearance  of  a  lot  of  huge  palm  cones 
set  in  row^s. 

The  Bangwa  (like  most  of  the  Aruwimi  and  Congo 
tribes)  have  a  most  w^onderful  means  of  communi- 
cating the  one  to  the  other.  Telegraphic  messages,  i.e., 
ivireless  telegrapliij  !  are  sent  by  means  of  curiously 
shaped  drums  which  are  made  from  the  solid  trunk  of  a 
tree  some  5  feet  in  diameter,  which  is  hollowed  out  most 
cleverly,  and  from  it  can  be  produced  two  distinct  notes, 
and  by  varying  these  two  notes  they  can  convey  messages 
to  a  neighbouring  village.  The  sound  travels  like  magic 
along  the  river,  and  so  at  almost  incredible  distances 
these  drums  can  be  heard.    It  therefore  came  about  that 

24 


354 


/X  nJVARF  LAND. 


long  before  I  got  to  a  village,  the  people  knew  of  my 
approach ;  and  as  I  came  in  view  they  communicated  the 
news  to  the  next  village  by  means  of  the  drum,  and  so 
on  right  down  the  river,  "The  European  is  coming!" 
I  was  told  that  from  one  village  to  another,  a  distance  of 
over  a  hundred  miles,  a  message  could  be  sent  in  less 
than  two  hours,  and  I  quite  believe  it  possible  to  be  done 
in  much  less  time.  The  Belgian  officers  use  this  method 
of  communicating  With,  the  natives,  ahvays  keeping  a 


CANNIBAL  FISHf^RMEN. 


drum  on  the  station,  and  a  man  that  can  beat  it.  Thus, 
w^hen  the  supply  of  rubber  is  getting  small,  a  telegraphic 
message  is  at  once  despatched  to  the  village  chief  to 
acquaint  him  of  the  fact  and  to  remind  him  that  he  must 
bring  in  some  more. 

Several  times  upon  landing  at  the  various  villages 
I  had  rather  unpleasant  experiences,  and  often  such  as 
made  me  feel  a  little  uncomfortable.  For  instance,  upon 
our  arrival  at  a  large  village,  I  would  at  once  be  sur- 
rounded by  some  fifty  or  sixty  great  fellows,  each  with  his 


/X  DWARF  LAND. 


355 


terrible  knife  in  his  liand,  and  they  would  walk  all  round 
looking  me  up  and  down,  in  a  most  careful  manner,  and 
often  I  wondered  if  the}'  were  choosing  a  tender  spot 
upon  which  to  commence.  It  would  have  been  fatal, 
however,  if  I  had  shown  the  least  sign  of  fear  or  sus- 
picion, and  so  I  had  to  look  pleasant,  although  I  felt 
quite  the  reverse.  When  I  explained  to  them  that  I  was 
an  Englishman,  and  belonged  to  a  great  and  powerful 
nation,  whicli  loves  the  black  men  and  wishes  to  try  and 
do  them  good,  I  was  always  able  to  establish  a  friendly 


FI,EET  OF  CAXOES. 


spirit  amongst  them ;  it  was  really  wonderful  that  these 
great  fellows,  with  a  defenceless  Englishman  completely 
in  their  power,  should  have  acted  in  so  friendly  a  manner. 
I  usually  made  the  chief  a  present  of  some  kind,  and  all 
sorts  of  little  trinkets,  such  as  a  tin  whistle,  looking- 
glasses,  cl'c,  gave  great  delight. 

As  huntsmen  the  Bangwa  are  noted  for  their  prowess, 
and  at  Mukopi,  a  large  village,  I  thought  I  should  like 
to  go  off  into  the  forest  to  hunt,  taking  a  Bangwa 
warrior  with  me  as  a  guide.    But  after  almost  standing 


356 


LV  DWARF  LAND. 


on  my  head,  and  twisting  myself  into  all  kinds  of  posi- 
tions and  performing  many  other  extraordinary  feats,  I 
thought  it  was  time  to  return  to  camp  ;  the  forest  was 
truly  awful,  and  as  to  hunting — well,  all  I  could  do  was  to 
look  after  myself  and  leave  the  game  to  do  likewise.  He 
who  wishes  to  hunt  in  this  forest  must  be  both  an  athlete, 
an  acrobat,  and  a  strong  man  with  plenty  of  control  over 
his  temper ;  if  he  is  not  the  first  he  will  soon  come  a 
"cro23per"  over  some  fallen  tree ;  if  he  is  not  the  second 
he  will  get  hopelessly  tied  up  by  the  creepers ;  and  if  he  is 
not  the  third,  and  goes  into  the  forest,  he  will  never  come 
out  again.  Of  course  I  saw  nothing  to  shoot,  I  was  too 
much  taken  up  with  my  athletics  even  to  look  for  any- 
thing. I  am  ashamed  to  say  that  every  now  and  then  I 
was  angry,  and  a  lot  of  good  it  was  ;  a  creeper  with 
terrible  thorns  wTapped  itself  round  my  neck  in  loving 
embrace,  and  thinking  to  gain  my  freedom,  I  tried  the 
"  strong-man  "  trick,  and  found  that  instead  of  getting 
liberated,  I  not  only  got  more  firmly  fixed  up  than  ever, 
but  in  addition  I  was  nearly  strangled,  not  to  mention 
having  my  nose  frightfully  lacerated  with  the  thorns. 
A  stream  of  water  12  feet  wide  presented  itself  and  I 
jumped,  coming  down  splash  in  the  middle  into  deep 
water.  k\\  these  and  many  other  incidents  of  a  similar 
character  befell  me  that  day  when  I  required  a  little 
exercise.  True  I  got  the  exercise,  with  a  few  bruises 
given  in. 

At  another  very  large  village  of  the  Bangwa  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  witnessing  a  midnight  dance  performed  by 
the  natives.  It  was  a  bright  moonlight  night  when  the 
people  began  to  collect  in  the  clearing  in  front  of  the 
chief's  house;  in  all  about  two  hundred  men  and  women, 
alike  nude,  gathered  in  this  spot  for  the  national  dance. 
iV  huge  fire  was  built  in  the  midst  of  the  open  space, 
and  around  this  they  all  arranged  themselves,  men  and 


IN  DWARF  LAXD. 


357 


women  on  opposite  sides,  forming  a  circle,  and  wlieii  tlie 
circle  was  complete  the  chief  gave  the  word  and  the 
dancing  commenced.  Words  fail  me  to  depict  the  utter 
strangeness  of  the  scene — the  attitudes  into  which  they 
wriggled  themselves,  all  keeping  time  like  a  trained  troupe 
of  acrobats,  the  weird  sounds  made  by  hands  and  mouth, 
and  the  ghastly  grimaces  :  all  this,  in  the  dim,  uncertain 
light  of  the  moon,  bafifles  description.  Presently  the 
noise  of  murmuring  made  by  the  dancers  as  they  wriggled 


CAX^'IBAL  POTTERY. 


round  the  fire  became  louder  and  louder,  and  the  con- 
tortions to  which  they  put  themselves  more  violent, 
quicker  and  quicker,  until  they  all  burst  forth  into  a 
terrible  yell,  and  seemed  veritably  to  fly  round  the  fire, 
still  keeping  time  with  hands,  and  feet,  and  voices.  I 
have  never  seen  anything  so  strange  in  all  my  travels, 
and  as  I  looked  at  the  distorted  features  of  these  people, 
working  themselves  up  into  a  state  of  madness,  and 
realised  that  they  were  all  the  fiercest  of  cannibals,  and 
at  any  moment  might  change  the  scene  into  one  of 


358 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


bloodshed,  I  admit  to  a  creepy  feeling  stealing  over  me, 
and  I  wondered  if  I  should  ever  get  through  the  country 
alive.  This  dance  was  kept  up  for  nearly  two  hours,  and 
then  suddenly  there  was  a  hush.  Not  a  sound  disturbed 
the  stillness  of  the  night.  The  dance  was  over,  and  in 
the  twinkling  of  an  eye  the  crowd  dispersed  in  all 
directions.  Noiselessly  every  one  crept  back  to  his  hut, 
and  I  was  left  alone  by  the  fireside,  wondering  at  the 
weirdness  of  the  scene  just  enacted. 

The  more  I  saw  of  the  Bangwa  the  more  I  liked  them, 
and  it  seems  strange  to  me  that  a  race  of  ])eople  of  such 
great  depth  of  character  and  superiority,  should  be  left  so 
utterly  neglected,  in  as  gross  a  state  of  darkness  as  it  is 
possible  to  imagine.  Surely  the  time  has  come  when  we 
in  this  civilised  land  of  ours,  possessing  as  we  do  all  the 
privileges  of  a  Christian  country,  should  stretch  out  our 
hands  to  these  poor  ignorant  cannibals,  and  seek  to  lift 
them  out  of  their  darkness  and  gross  superstition  into  the 
light  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Their  blood  will  surely  be 
upon  us  as  a  nation  if  we,  knowing  their  state,  seek  not 
to  break  their  age-bound  chains  of  heathenism,  and 
"  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of 
the  prison  to  them  that  are  bound." 

At  Mupe,  a  large  village  of  some  thousands  of  people, 
I  put  my  bicycle  together — which  I  still  had  with  me, 
and  had  brought  right  through  the  forest — and  suddenly 
appeared  in  the  village  street  riding  my  "bike."  I  shall 
never  forget  the  sight  of  those  yelling  savages,  racing 
after  me  in  the  wildest  excitement,  knocking  each  other 
over  in  their  eagerness  to  get  out  of  the  way.  Some  ran 
off  into  their  houses  and  barred  the  door,  others  took 
flight  into  the  forest,  only  to  return  most  cautiously  one 
by  one,  when  they  found  that  it  was  a  harmless  thing. 
Some  with  their  eyes  starting  wildly  raced  across  my 
path,  shouting,  "  The  white  man  on  a  snake  !  "  Children 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


361 


screamed,  and  men  and  women  yelled  ;  never  was  such  a 
sight  witnessed  before.  I  hardly  knew  how  to  ride  for 
laughing.  After  a  while  they  got  more  used  to  it,  arid 
then  all  joined  in  the  fun  and  scampered  round  their 
village  in  the  greatest  state  of  excitement.  Presently  I 
dismounted  and  called  the  chief  to  come  and  look  at  it. 

It  is  a  snake,"  he  said ;  I  tried  to  assure  him  it  was  not, 
but  it  was  no  use,  he  pointed  to  the  track,  and  w4th  a 
knowing  shake  of  the  head  said,  "  x\nd  you  tell  me  that's 
not  a  snake  track?  "  In  the  midst  of  all  this  excitement 
my  dog  Sally,  thinking  the  crowd  had  congregated  quite 
unnecessarily,  turned  round  and  made  for  them,  scattering 
them  right  and  left,  barking  most  furiously.  Altogether, 
I  think  that  was  a  red-letter  day  for  the  people  of  Mupe. 

At  Banalya  I  saw  many  things  that  upset  me.  The 
officer  in  charge  greatly  annoyed  me  by  his  ill-treatment 
of  the  natives.  All  day  long  some  poor  native  was  being 
scolded,  and  at  night,  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  I  saw 
what  I  could  hardly  believe.  The  European  w^as  sitting 
m  his  house,  when  some  little  noise  occurred  outside,  an 
argument  between  two  natives.  The  Belgian  jumped  up, 
and  swinging  a  knife  slashed  about  at  the  native  in  a 
most  abominable  fashion,  and  I  was  obliged  to  interfere, 
and  afterwards  reported  the  case  to  the  Commandant. 
Such  men  ought  never  to  be  allowed  to  hold  places  of 
responsibility,  and  these  are  the  men  who  have  brought 
the  Congo  Free  State  into  bad  odium  with  the  civilised 
world,  and  the  great  wonder  is  that  proper  investigation 
has  not  been  made,  and  such  men  removed  at  least  from 
positions  of  power. 

At  this  same  place  I  visited  the  Bangwa  chief,  a  very 
big  man  in  the  district,  and  of  great  power,  and  he  very 
soon  told  me  many  of  his  grievances  relating  to  the 
treatment  he  and  his  people  received  at  the  hands  of 
the  Belgians. 


362  JX  niWlRF  LAND. 

There  is  a  siiiouidering  fire  at  the  heart  of  these 
people,  and  hy  and  hy,  if  greater  care  and  justice  he  not 
exercised  amongst  them,  it  wiU  hm'st  forth,  and  I 
^A'ould  not  hke  to  he  a  European  in  the  district  if  once  the 
Bangwa  rise.  Of  course  in  the  end  the  fight  would  be 
one-sided,  as  it  always  is  where  breechloaders  meet  spears 
and  bows  and  arrows ;  but  a  desperate  fight  it  would 
be,  and  many  would  lose  their  liyes,  and  a  fine  race  of 
people,  born  for  better  things,  would  be  smashed  up,  and 


YAMBUYA. 


made  more  degraded  than  they  are  to-day  with  all  their 
cannibalism.  The}^  are  cowed  for  the  present,  and  will 
sit  and  listen  quietly  to  the  insults  and  the  harsh  words 
of  the  headstrong  Belgian  a  little  longer,  but  severe 
trouble  will  come  if  there  be  no  improyement.  While 
talking  privately  to  the  chief  above  mentioned,  he 
catechised  me  most  closely  as  to  my  nationality,  kc.  I 
told  him  that  I  was  an  Englishman,  and  he  asked  if  the 
English  ruled  anywhere  over  the  black  people.  I  told 
him  about  the  Uganda  Protectorate  to  the  east,  and  he 


/X  DWWRr  LAX  p. 


then  said,  "Is  there  rubl)er  in  Uganda?"  ^Mlen  I 
replied  in  the  negative  he  said,  Then  why  do  tlie 
Enghsh  rule  the  people?"  I  said,  "To  do  the  black 
man  good,  and  to  make  peace  in  his  country."  He  was 
greatly  interested,  and  asked  me  several  questions  about 
the  government  of  Uganda,  letting  out  many  "trade 
secrets  "  with  reference  to  his  masters,  and  finally  said 


BASOKO. 

that  he  wished  his  country  w^ere  governed  by  the  British 
also. 

On  November  1st  I  reached  Basoko,  the  convict 
station  of  the  Congo,  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the 
two  rivers,  the  Congo  and  the  Aruwimi.  Mr.  Hoffman, 
the  officer  in  charge  at  Basoko,  was  most  kind  to  me, 
and  helped  me  in  every  way  possible.    One  of  my  first 


364 


IX  DWARF  LAND. 


questions  was,  "  When  will  the  next  steamer  start  for  the 
coast?"  Unfortunately,  one  had  just  gone,  and  I  w^as 
advised  to  cross  over  to  Barumbu  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Congo,  where  Captain  Burrows,  the  commandant  of  the 
Aruwimi  district,  resided,  and  there  to  await  the  next 
steamer. 


CHAPTER  XYIII 


BASOKO     TO  ENGLAND 

Cai^tain  Guy  Burrows — Ten  days'  rest — The  palm  grove — Shooting  our 
dinners — The  steamer  arrives — ]\Iode  of  progress — Missionary  friends 
at  Upoto— The  captain  drunk  —  Stanley  Pool  —  Leopoldville  —  Kind 
friends — Catching  the  train — The  saloon  car — A  strange  sensation — 
Matadi — Kind  hospitality — Boma — The  Governor-General's  compli- 
ment— Cabenda — Tlie  mail-boat  arrives  -The  lazy  Portuguese — 
Getting  passport  signed — On  board  the  Lo«Hf?« --Lisbon — Sud  express 
to  Paris — Home  at  last — Conclusion. 

riAPTAIN  GUY  BUREOWS,  Commissioner  of  the 
\J  Aruwimi  district,  is  a  man  who  has  had  a  great  deal 
of  experience,  both  as  an  officer  in  tlie  British  arm}^, 
serving  in  India  and  Egypt,  and  also  as  an  officer  of  the 
Congo  Free  State,  in  which  he  has  laboured  since  1894, 
first  in  tlie  Welle  Mobanghi  district,  and  then  in  the 
Upper  Welle,  and  finally  in  the  Riibi-Welle  district.  He 
received  me  very  kindly,  and  I  soon  found  him  to  be 
what  others  have  found  before  me,  a  good  friend,  and  a 
Briton  to  the  core.  My  first  difficulty  upon  my  arrival 
at  Barumbu  was,  how  to  book  for  myself  a  passage 
on  the  State  steamer.  I  had  no  gold  with  me  at  all,  it 
being  unnecessary  in  Central  Africa,  but  to  my  dismay 
I  found  that  on  the  Congo,  gold,  and  nothing  but  gold, 
would  procure  me  a  passage  on  the  steamer  and  by 
rail.    Previous  to  my  leaving  Toro  I  had  armed  myself 

365 


366 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


with  a  letter  from  the  Eight  Rev.  Bisliop  Tucker  of 
Uganda,  but  I  fouiid  tliat  the  Belgians  merely  read  it 
through,  and  handing  it  hack,  said  that  the  Congo  Free 
State  does  not  care  for  bishops'  letters.  I  took  my  diffi- 
culty to  the  captain,  and  he,  like  a  true  fellow-countryman, 
ever  ready  to  help  a  lame  dog  over  a  stile,  unhesitatingly 
advanced  the  money  to  me,  and  I  procured  my  passage  on 
the  steamer.  However,  I  had  to  wait  at  Barumbu  ten 
days  b(^fore  it  arrived. 

Baruiubu  is  very  prettily  situated,  about  two  hundred 


feet  above  the  level  of  the  river,  and  about  a  mile  from 
its  banks.  The  houses  are  built  in  the  midst  of  a  palm- 
grove,  and  give  a  most  enchanting  appearance  to  the 
station.  The  greatest  dithculty  in  these  places  is  to 
procure  fresh  meat  ;  occasionally  a  wild  pig  is  shot  by 
one  of  the  soldiers  sent  out  for  that  purpose,  or  a  forest 
antelope,  but  sometimes  even  these  are  not  obtainable. 
Several  times  we  were  obliged  to  go  out  and  shoot  our 
dinners — parrots,  pigeons,  and  suchlike.  The  native 
houses  are  by  the  river  side,  and  are  quite  different  from 


BARUMBU. 


/X  DWARF  LAND. 


367 


the  Bangwa  houses.  They  are  low  structures  built  with 
bamboo  cane  and  thatched  w4th  pine-tree  leaves.  They 
are  not  so  fine  a  race  of  people  on  the  Upper  Congo  as 
on  the  Aruwimi,  but  seem  to  have  great  ability  both  as 
workers  in  pot  and  in  iron ;  as  fishermen  they  are  quite 
expert. 

The  arrival  of  the  steamer  at  Barumbu  always  causes 
the  greatest  excitement  among  the  natives.  They  collect 
in  great  crowds  along  the  bank  and  await  its  approach, 
and  many  are  the  queer  notions  they  have  with  respect 


CANNIBAL  HOUSES  OX  UPPER  CONGO. 


to  it.  Captain  Burrows  procured  for  me  the  use  of  the 
largest  cabin  on  the  boat,  which  is  usually  kept,  so  I  was 
told,  for  the  exclusive  use  of  any  State  official  who  might 
be  requiring  a  passage.  I  was  therefore  highly  favoured, 
and  although  there  were  ten  other  Europeans  on  board,  I 
was  able  to  keep  my  cabin  to  myself  the  whole  way,  and 
had  the  further  privilege  of  taking  my  meals  with  the 
captain  of  the  boat  in  his  private  cabin.  These  steamers 
form  a  startling  contrast  to  the  very  wild  state  of  affairs 
in  Central  Africa,  and  it  seems  almost  incredible  that  they 


368 


IN  DWARF  LAND 


can  penetrate  no  less  than  i,300  miles  inland  from  the 
Atlantic.  They  are  well  built  with  al)out  eight  small 
cabins  for  the  use  of  Europeans,  l;esides  a  spacious  com- 
partment as  a  saloon  in  addition  to  engineer's  and 
captain's  quarters. 

I  parted  with  my  two  faithful  Waganda  boys,  Ehsa  and 
Alberto,  and  also  the  one  Toro  boy  who  had  journeyed 
with  me  all  the  way.  They  had  a  long  tramp  before  them, 
but  I  am  glad  to  know  that  they  arrived  quite  safely  back 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  STEAMER. 


into  tlieir  own  land,  being  helped  very  considerably  by  the 
officers  in  charge  of  the  various  stations. 

Our  mode  of  procedure  on  the  river  was  not  of  a 
particularly  exciting  kind.  In  the  morning  we  started 
off,  usually  about  6  a.m.,  calling  at  each  State  post  on  the 
way,  and  stopping"  at  some  fuel  station  for  the  night.  On 
account  of  the  >and-ljanks  and  other  obstructions  in  the 
river  it  was  not  safe  to  travel  by  night,  although  at  high 
water  it  is  sometimes  done.    All  day  long  one  would  sit 


IN  DWWRF  LAX  P. 


369 


on  the  deck  reading,  or  else  spend  the  time  examining  the 
banks  as  we  sped  along.  It  was  not  at  all  possible  to 
make  many  observations  of  native  life,  or  to  find  out  the 
customs  of  the  people.  I  must  leave  this  for  others  to 
write  about  who  have  spent  years  on  the  Congo,  and 
have  had  opportunities  of  studying  these  things.  I  simply 
passed  through  the  country  on  my  way  home,  and  there- 
fore am  not  able  to  give  many  details.  There  is  no  coal 
at  present  found  in  the  Congo  State,  and  wood  is  the 
fuel   used  on  the  steamers.     There  is,  of   course,  an 


UPOTO. 

unlimited  supply  of  this  article,  and  many  little  stations 
have  been  built  at  intervals  along  the  river  bank,  where 
a  good  quantity  is  alw^ays  found  ready  chopped. 

I  met  many  missionary  friends  on  the  Congo,  at 
Upoto,  Bolobo,  Matadi,  and  Bomba,  but  we  did  not  stop 
at  the  numerous  stations  cf  various  missions.  I  was 
much  surprised  to  find  that  really  beautiful  houses  are 
built  by  the  missionaries,  no  better  than  they  are  abso- 
lutely needed,  but  one  hardly  expected  to  see  such  neat, 
painted  bungalows,  with  European  furniture,  c^^c.  The 

25 


370  IN  DWARF  LAND. 

natives  are  set  to  work  and  are  taught  how  to  do  ordinary 
carpentering  work  and  house-building,  and  very  clever 
they  are,  and  soon  learn  to  use  their  hands. 

The  captain  on  our  steamer  was  quite  a  character,  a 


FUEL  STATION,  UPPER  CONGO. 


Norwegian.  He  spoke  fair  English,  however,  but  seemed 
quite  incapable  of  entering  into  conversation,  except  when 
he  had  taken  a  glass  or  two  of  absinthe,  then  there  was  no 
stopping  him.  The  traders  at  various  places  at  which  w^e 
stayed  seemed  well  acquainted  with  this  peculiarity  of 


[N  DWARF  LAND. 


371 


the  captain's,  and  generally  brought  a  bottle  or  two  of  tliis 
stuff  on  board  when  they  visited  him.  Alas,  one  day  the 
absinthe  got  into  the  captain's  head,  and  then  he  became  so 
very  merry  that  we  were  mucli  afraid  that  in  his  exube- 
rance he  would  run  the  boat  into  the  bank.  It  was  there- 
fore necessary  to  stop  and  anchor  for  tlie  rest  of  the  day. 
I  was  much  annoyed,  as  I  was  anxious  to  catch  the  mail 
boat  at  Matadi,  and  a  day's  delay  meant  my  missing  it. 
The  next  morning,  therefore,  I  gave  the  captain  a  little 


KATIVE  TYPES,  UPPEK  CONGO. 


bit  of  my  mind  ;  not  only  had  I  missed  my  boat  at  Matadi, 
necessitating,  as  1  thought,  another  month's  delay  there, 
but  he  had  endangered  the  lives  of  all  on  board.  He  w^as 
most  profuse  in  his  apologies,  and  promised  not  to  drink 
absinthe  again,  and  it  will  be  good  for  him  if  he  does  not. 

But  my  journey  was  drawing  near  its  close,  and  one 
day,  about  VI  noon,  we  found  ourselves  in  Stanley  Pool, 
steaming  away  to  its  most  westerly  point,  where  is  the 
town  of  Leopoldville.  The  Cliffs  of  Dover,  as  they  are 
called,  on  the  north  of  the  Pool,  looked  very  beautiful  as 


372 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


we  passed.  They  are  white  chalk  chffs,  and  most  strongly 
resemble  those  of  Dover. 

It  was  the  24th  of  November  when  I  once  more  set 
foot  on  dry  land,  at  Leopoldville.  From  here  the  river 
is  not  navigable  on  account  of  the  rapids,  and  the  rest 
of  the  journey  to  the  coast  must  either  be  done  by  land, 
the  ordinary  caravan  route  with  carriers,  or  else  by  rail, 
for  the  new  railway  was  finally  opened  in  1896  from 
Leopoldville  to  Matadi. 


DOVER  CLIFFS,   STANLEY  POOL. 


Upon  my  arrival  I  began  to  look  about  for  friends  and 
I  was  not  long  in  finding  some.  I  had  been  strolling 
about  for  a  few  minutes  wdien  I  saw  over  the  door  of 
one  of  the  houses  the  three  letters  C.B.M.,  and  I  knew 
that  this  stood  for  Congo  Balolo  Mission."  I  went 
in  and  was  not  mistaken.  Two  young  fellows  were  in 
charge,  and  welcomed  me  heartily.  I  found  that  a  train 
left  the  following  morning  for  Matadi,  so  I  decided  not 
to  wait  a  day  longer  than  was  necessary,  but  to  keep 
on  the  move  as  long  as  I  could,  trusting  to  Providence 


TYPE  OF  MEN  USED  AS  BOATMEN  ON  STATE  STEAMERS. 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


375 


to  catch  a  boat  at  the  coast,  in  spite  of  having  missed 
the  Belgian  mail  boat,  which  had  left  Matadi  on  the 
'28rd.  The  evening  was  spent  in  chatting  with  my 
friends  at  the  Mission,  who  very  kindly  rendered  me 
much  assistance  in  procuring  a  ticket  for  me  on  the 
railway,  and  in  the  early  morning  I  started  off  to  catch 
the  train! 

What  an  anomaly !  Catching  a  train  in  Central 
Africa  !  For  we  w^ere  still  three  hundred  miles  from 
the  actual  coast  line.    After  tramping  about  Africa  for 


I.KOI'OLDVILLE. 

a  few  years  it  seemed  almost  al^surd  to  go  olf  to  catcli 
a  train.  Presently  I  heard  a  most  unmistakable  train 
whistle,  and  in  a  few  moments  I  w^as  m  the  station  and 
saw  the  train— two  carriages,  one  for  passengers  and  the 
other  for  luggage  and  black  men,  and  the  engine.  The 
saloon  carriage,  in  which  I  very  soon  seated  myself,  was 
most  comfortable,  being  fitted  up  with  cane  chairs  and 
small  tables  ;  there  was  also  a  lavatory  at  one  end.  But 
the  motion  was  anything  but  nice.  T  had  only  just 
seated  myself  when,  w^ith  another  shriek  and  a  terrific 


3/6 


IN  DJVARF  LAND. 


jerk,  that  almost  sent  me  through  the  window,  away  we 
went.  I  tri(Hl  to  look  out  of  the  window,  hut  was  soon 
so  covered  witli  a  thick  deposit  of  soot,  that  I  sat  down 
and  tried  to  look  as  if  I  enjoyed  it.  We  were  travelling 
at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  and  I  thought  every 
moment  would  be  our  last ;  in  fact,  so  nervous  did  I  get 
by  the  sudden  change  of  motion,  and  of  the  awful 
possibility,  as  I  thought,  of  being  precipitated  down  one 
of  the  yawning  gullies  over  which  we  raced,  that  I  got 


OLD  CARAVAN  ROUTE  TO  COAST  FROM  LEOPOLDYILLE. 

up  to  change  my  seat  for  one  nearer  the  door,  and  was 
on  the  point  of  calling  out  to  the  driver  to  stop,  wdien 
the  train  gave  a  lurch  to  the  left,  and  over  I  went  on 
to  the  floor  at  the  bottom  of  the  car.  Here,  however, 
wdiere  I  had  almost  made  up  my  mind  to  stay,  the 
rumbling  of  the  wheels  was  so  great  that  I  again  struggled 
to  my  feet.  Oh  !  the  rocking,  and  the  pitching !  it  was 
far  worse  than  being  on  a  really  first-class  ocean  liner, 


FX  DWARF  LA  AW. 


37/ 


and  the  squealing  of  that  terrible  little  engine  very  nearly 
drove  me  out  of  my  senses  for  the  first  hour.  And  I  have 
it  on  the  very  best  authority,  that  one  of  the  passengers  had 
a  bad  attack  of  mcd  de  mer,  and  I  am  not  at  all  surprised. 
After  a  while  we  got  used  to  it,  as  one  does  to  most 
things  in  life,  and  I  settled  down  more  comfortably,  and 
determined  to  make  the  best  of  it.    After  all,  the  scenery 


THE  NEW  WAY. 


made  up  for  a  lot,  it  was  simply  exquisite.  We  were  wind- 
inf^  round  and  round  the  hillsides,  sometimes  overlookino^ 
a  precipice  hundreds  of  feet  deep,  then  madly  rushing  at 
a  breakneck  speed  down  an  incline,  then  turning  round  a 
sharp  corner  at  the  bottom,  and  over  a  bridge  across  some 
deep  gully.  It  was  quite  an  unique  experience,  to  be 
rushing  through  Africa  without  any  exertion  save  that  of 


37B 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


keeping  the  perpendicular.  All  day  we  kept  on  our  way, 
each  passenger  having  provided  himself  with  food,  and  at 
6  p.m.  we  steamed  into  Tunilja,  where  we  stayed  for 
the  night.  In  the  early  morning  we  were  off  again, 
the  latter  part  of  the  journey  being  more  beautiful  as 
far  as  scenery  is  concerned.  The  whole  distance  is  230 
miles  to  Matadi,  but  it  takes  nearly  two  days,  and  we 
reached  there  at  4  p.m. 


VILLA(rE  OX  CONGO. 


The  Congo  railway  is  undoubtedly  a  masterpiece  of 
modern  engineering  skill,  and  I  imagine  there  are  few 
stretches  of  country  that  present  so  many  difficulties  to 
the  engineers  as  were  met  with  in  the  construction  of  this 
raih^'ay.  Such  a  work,  however,  was  not  carried  on 
without  the  loss  of  numbers  of  lives ;  whole  gangs  of  men 
were  struck  down  by  the  ravages  of  malarial  diseases. 
A  great  many  Europeans,  too,  went  out  for  this  work 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


379 


who  were  quite  unfitted  to  stand  the  chniate,  and  many 
went  there  with  the  idea  that  they  could  indulge  in  their 
lowest  passions,  away  from  restraint,  without  harm  to 
themselves.  How  sadly  were  they  mistaken !  I  was  told 
that  a  party  of  six  men  went  out,  and,  arriving  at  Matadi, 
they,  imagining  they  could  do  just  as  they  liked,  partici- 
pated in  all  kinds  of  evil  habits,  with  the  result  that  in 
less  than  six  months  not  one  of  them  was  left.  It  is 
just  the  same .  any  where  on  the  Congo;  it  is  well-nigh 


RAPIDS  OX  LOWER  CONGO. 


impossible  to  live  a  gay  and  reckless  life  without  injining 
the  health  ;  good,  nourishing  food  is  absolutely  necessary, 
and  in  addition  to  this  comfortable,  well-built  houses. 
On  one  of  the  Aruwimi  stations  I  met  a  young  American, 
who,  in  the  company  of  nine  others,  had  gone  out  in  the 
service  of  the  Congo  Free  State  only  three  years  before, 
and  only  two  were  left,  and  one  of  these  invalided  home 
soon  afterwards.  It  was  most  pathetic  to  hear  him  say, 
"  Well,  I  guess  I  shall  be  the  next  !  " 

At  first  sight  Matadi  seemed  to  consist  of  dirty  streets, 


38o 


/X  n]]\]RF  LAXn. 


bare  rocks,  and  broken  ^in  l)ottles,  with  a  blazing  sun 
overhead,  but  I  found  out  afterwards  that  there  were 
some  pleasant  spots  even  in  Matadi. 

Up  the  hill  above  the  station  is  the  house  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Forfeitt,  of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  and  it 
was  cheering  to  get  into  the  well-built  house  with  its  kind 
and  genial  occupants  after  wandering  about  the  streets 
for  an  hour  or  so.    These  good  people  gave  me  hospitality 


STOPPING  FOR  WATER. 


during  my  stay  at  Matadi,  and  none  could  have  been 
more  kind. 

But  my  time  w^as  short,  for  I  received  information 
that  the  Portuguese  mail  boat  was  to  leave  Cabenda 
on  the  '2nd  of  December  and  the  boat  from  Matadi  to 
Boma  on  the  •28th  of  Xovember.  Another  two  days  were 
spent  at  Boma,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cramer,  of  the  American 
Christian  Alliance,  hospitably  entertained  me.  They  have 
a  very  nice  house  situated  on  the  rising  ground  over- 
looking the  sea.  There  seemed  to  be  but  little  mission 
work  going  on  at  Boma,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cramer  and  a  Miss 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


381 


Villars  being  the  only  Protestant  missionaries.  The 
Koman  Catholics  have  a  fine  iron  church. 

The  European  population  of  Boma  is  about  300 ;  it  is 
the  seat  of  the  local  Government.  The  Governor- 
General's  house  is  a  very  fine  one  indeed.  The  town  is 
divided  into  two  parts,  the  lower  part  by  the  seashore, 
with  hotels,  general  stores,  post-office,  and  Government 
offices,  and  the  Boma  plateau,  with  the  house  of  the 
Governor-General,  and  the  soldiers'  barracks,  hospital,  &c. 
A  steam  tram  runs  between  both  parts.    Before  I  left  I 


RAILWAY  SHEDS. 


called  upon  the  Acting  Governor-General.  After  waiting 
a  little  while  I  was  shown  into  one  of  the  spacious 
rooms  and  he  soon  after  came  in.  He  received  me  kindly 
and  proceeded  to  ask  me  many  questions  concerning  the 
journey  I  had  accomplished,  and  when  I  told  him  that 
I  had  crossed  the  Continent  from  east  to  west  he  asked 
me  how  many  troops  I  had  with  me.  I  told  him  I  had 
journeyed  without  escort,  and  he  was  at  first  disposed  to 
doubt  my  word,  and  then  asked  if  I  went  through  the 
forest  and  the  cannibal  districts  of  the  Aruwimi,  and 


382 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


when  I  said,  "Yes,"  he  poHtely  said,  "Well,  if  you 
went  witliout  an  escort  you  are  a  fool."  I  thanked 
him  for  the  compliment,  adding  that  whether  a  fool 
or  not,  I  had  passed  through,  and  had  never  any 
occasion  to  fire  a  single  shot  in  self-defence,  nor 
had  I  been  stopped  by  natives  anywhere,  but  had 
undoubtedly  made  friends  wuth  many  of  the  chiefs.  He 
did  not  mean  any  insult,  and  I  did  not  take  it  as  such, 
but  he  certainly  seemed  very  surprised.  Personally,  I 
believe  that  any  one  who  has  a  little  knowledge  of  native 
character  and  customs,  and  a  smattering  of  Swahili,  could 
accomplish  the  same  journey  m  as  comfortable  a  manner 
as  I  did,  providing  that  he  act  honourably  and  with 
strictest  justice  towards  the  natives  ;  not  harshly,  with- 
out considering  the  ignorant  state  of  the  offenders,  but 
making  due  allowances  for  them ;  and,  above  all,  letting 
them  see  that  they  are  recognised  as  fellow-men,  and  not 
as  creatures  of  a  lower  order. 

But  I  do  not  attribute  my  safety  throughout  this 
perilous  journey  to  any  wisdom  of  my  own  in  dealing 
with  the  natives,  or  to  any  "  good  luck,"  for  I  am  bound 
to  believe  that  a  stronger  Arm  than  my  own  defended  me 
in  dangers,  and  that  where  good  fortune  seemed  to  favour 
me  it  was  the  evidence  of  a  watchful  Providence.  In 
short,  I  believe  that  as  I  trusted  myself  into  the  hands  of 
God,  when  1  left  England  in  1894,  going  out  as  a  Christian 
missionary  to  do  His  will,  and  day  after  day,  in  spite  of 
weariness  and  sorrows,  relied  upon  His  mercy,  although 
so  very  imperfectly,  so  He,  in  His  love,  has  helped  me, 
and  through  Christ  has  heard  my  prayers,  and  the  prayers 
of  many  of  my  friends. 

On  the  30th  of  November  I  left  Boma  and  arrived  at 
Cabenda  about  3.30  p.m.  Here  I  expected  to  see  the 
Portuguese  mail,  but  as  I  looked  up  and  down  the  coast 
no  mail  boat  could  I  see ;  just  as  I  was  about  to  go 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


383 


ashore,  however,  a  big  steamer  hove  in  sight,  and  this 
proved  to  be  ihv,  mail.  How  thankful  I  was  now  to  see 
the  boat  that  would  take  mo  to  Europe  ! 

When  I  got  on  shore  I  asked  what  time  the  boat 
would  leave,  as  1  had  to  get  my  passport  signed  by 
the  Portuguese  Governor  in  the  morning,  and  if  it 
started  too  early  I  should  not  be  able  to  catcli  the 
boat.  I  waited  till  ten  o'clock,  and  then  news  came 
that  the  mail  would  leave  at  twelve  noon  the  following 
day.  1  put  up  at  a  small  hotel  belonging  to  a  trading 
establishment  in  Cabenda,  and  in  the  morning  went  off 
to  try  and  get  my  passport  signed.  I  first  w^ent  to  the 
chief  secretary  and  found  him  in  bed  ;  1  sent  in  word  that 
I  must  see  him  on  business,  and  he  then  appeared  in  his 
night  apparel,  looking  very  much  astonished  to  see  a 
foreigner.  I  told  him  my  business,  and  he  then  seemed 
very  angry  and  said  that  he  would  see  me  in  an  hour's 
time  at  the  office.  And  so  I  waited,  and  the  time 
crept  by,  and  I  knew"  the  mail  would  not  wait  for  me. 
At  the  end  of  an  hour  1  called  again  at  the  office  ; 
he  was  not  there ;  I  sent  in  my  card  and  said  that 
I  must  see  him  immediately,  and  then  at  last 
he  came.  I  produced  my  passport  and  lie  looked  at 
it  and  said,  "  This  is  no  good,  it  only  takes  you  to 
Cabenda."  I  told  him  that  I  was  a  subject  of  Her  Most 
Gracious  Majesty,  Queen  Victoria  of  Great  Britain,  and 
my  passport  was  signed  by  Her  Majesty's  consul  at  Boma, 
and  would  take  me  anywhere.  After  this  speech  the 
gentleman  bowed  and  signed  without  another  word.  I 
was  only  just  in  time.  To  reach  the  mail  boat  was  a  big 
undertaking,  as  it  was  five  miles  out  at  sea ;  and  the  only 
boat  available  was  a  small  surf  boat  hardly  large  enough  to 
take  myself  and  my  luggage,  but  by  dint  of  hard  rowing 
and  at  some  risk  it  was  accomplished,  and  as  soon  as  I 
was  on  board  up  went  the  steps  and  away  we  steamed. 


3^4 


IN  DWARF  LAND. 


Tlie  Loanda  was  the  name  of  the  mail  boat,  and  I 
was  most  agreeably  sm^prised  to  find  her  quite  an  elegant 
little  boat,  fitted  up  in  really  good  style.  There  was 
excellent  accommodation  for  passengers,  the  cabins  being 
large  and.  airy.  The  food,  certainly,  was  a  little  trying  to 
one's  digestive  powers  after  forest  fare.  Oil  and  onions 
seemed  the  accompaniments  to  every  dish,  especially  the 
former. 

There  were  about  two  dozen  passengers,  mostly 
Portuguese,  and  two  Frenchmen.  I  was  the  only 
Englishman,  and  none  of  the  others  could  speak 
English.  The  engineers,  however,  were  all  British, 
and  this  made  things  much  pleasanter  for  me.  The 
captain  was  a  curious  old  fellow,  and  was  always 
talking,  either  to  himself  or  some  poor  unfortunate 
sailor  or  passenger.  In  addition  to  this  weakness,  he 
had  an  immoderate  affection  for  cod's  head,  and  as  this 
fish  and  others  often  appeared  on  the  festive  board,  he 
had  this  curious  appetite  frequently  satisfied. 

We  had  a  most  delightful  voyage  in  the  Loanda, 
with  charming  weather  the  whole  way.  Touching  art  St. 
Thomas'  and  Princes'  Islands,  and  then  right  on  to  the 
Cape  Yerde  Islands,  stop]:>ing  at  Santiago  and  St.  Vincent, 
and  thence  to  Madeira,  from  there  to  Lisbon. 

I  disembarked  at  Lisbon,  and  found  that  a  train  left  the 
same  evening  for  Paris,  the  Sud  express.  What  a  change 
after  the  Congo  railway  !  This  was  luxury  indeed,  sleeping 
and  luncheon  cars,  saloon  and  smoke-room,  all  of  the 
latest  improved  style.  Coming  from  the  wilds  of  Africa, 
all  seemed  very  strange,  but  very  nice.  We  reached 
Paris  on  Christmas  morning,  and  home  in  England  on 
Christmas  night. 

And  so  I  bring  this  brief  record  of  my  journey  to 
a  close,  conscious  of  its  many  imperfections  of  style 
as  a  literary  work,  and  of   the  brevity  of   its  scope. 


AV  DWARF  LAND. 


As  I  have  before  remarked,  in  a  journey  such  as  this  it  was 
impossible  to  really  study  the  native  races,  or  even  the 
country,  and  I  have  merely  related  passing  impressions 
and  hastily- made  observations.  I  can  only  hope  that 
these  records  may  create  a  little  deeper  sympathy  in  the 
minds  of  the  people  of  England  for  the  sable  sons  of 
Africa  who  have  suffered  much,  and  are  still  suffering. 
The  doors  of  this  dark  continent  are  wide  open  for  the 
reception  of  Christianity  and  of  righteous  government, 
which  alone  shall  drive  away  the  darkness,  alleviate  the 
sufferings  of  the  people,  and  bring  peace  to  the  land. 


[Note. — The  author  is  much  indebted 
to  Eev.  Lawson  Forfeitt  and  Mr.  E.  H. 
Leakey  for  some  of  the  photographs 
herein  produced.] 


26 


^h  t  C6  I  CS  bam  yirtss, 

UNWIX  BROTHEKS, 
WOKING  AND  LONDON. 


DATE  DUE 

 ! 

CAYUORD 

PRINTED  IN  U.S.A. 

DT351  .L79 

In  dwarf  land  and  cannibal  country  :  a 
Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1012  00052  2856 


